Unexpected
by gryffindorgirl98
Summary: It was unexpected that Rose Weasley would ever fall for Scorpius Malfoy. But nothing is impossible.
1. Chapter 1

Unexpected

Intro: Narrator's POV

The Weasley-Potter family easily filled the whole of platform 9 ¾. Rose was actually amazed to find that they fit, and equally surprised that the other families in the platform had room to wave goodbye to their sons and daughters. She was currently squished between Albus, her cousin, and Hugo, her younger brother, both of whom looked just as pleased about this arrangement as she did. Hugo had deemed Rose as one of Satan's spawn the day she accidentally mixed up his sippy cup with their father, Ron's, fire whisky. Hugo, being only four at the time, had gotten his first taste of alcohol that day, and was promptly named the youngest underage drinker known to London. Albus was Rose's favorite cousin, and he shared the same affection for her. However, at this moment, he was in a slightly pissed off mood because of his mother kissing him goodbye in front of his friends Collin Finnegan and Finley Thomas. He held his trunk in one hand, his wand tightly gripped in the other, a scowl gracing his face that was tinged pink partly because of embarrassment and partly because of Ginny's lipstick.

Anyway, Rose was in the middle of heaving her particularly heavy trunk to the train, while at the same time trying to find breathable air in the crowded space filled with witches and wizards. Finally, she managed to make her way to the train, throw her trunk onto a luggage rack and snake her way back to her family.

Her Mother and Father were standing with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, laughing about something so hard that her mother was actually crying. She picked out choice words like "Hogwarts", "fireworks" and "Fred and George". Almost too afraid to ask, she interrupted them in time to get a kiss from her mother and father, and hugs from her aunt and uncle. Just as she was about to turn away, her father caught her by the shoulder.

"See that boy over there, Rosie?" He asked, pointing to a boy who looked to be about her age standing next to a man who was his spitting image. He had almost white-blond hair, a pointed nose, cool blue eyes, and a sneer that could curdle dairy. She nodded, wondering where her father was going with this.

"That's Scorpius Malfoy, and I just wanted to let you know, that if you ever become associated with him in any way, shape, or form, I will promptly disown you from the family." He said with a very serious look. She wasn't quite sure what to make of what he had just said. Surely no one could be that bad of a person. She cocked her head slightly to the side in confusion.

"Ron!" Her mother said from the side.

"What? I'm only teasing, and besides, he's no good anyway." Her father turned his attention back to Rose.

"Beat him in every test you take Rosie, thank merlin you inherited your mother's brains."

"That's enough of that." Hermione said from above. She leaned down to kiss Rose's cheek again, and smiled.

"Have a wonderful school year, dear."

"Will you write to me?" Rose asked hurriedly. The train was smoking now, and she feared if she didn't leave soon, she was going to miss it. However, missing the train didn't seem like such a bad idea anyway. The way she viewed it, if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor like the rest of her family, she would be disowned just as fast as Ron could say Scorpius Malfoy.

"Every weekend if you'd like." Hermione said smiling.

"Do well Rosie, we know you will be the best at everything you do." Ron said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'll try," she joked. "I love you!" She shouted as she began to make her way to the train. The last she saw of her parents before boarding the scarlet express was Ron's abnormally long arm waving, extended above everyone else's. She smiled slightly, before turning and hurrying down the hallways to find the platform with the rest of her family.

She was walking so quickly, that she bumped into something that felt a lot like a person. Stumbling to the ground, she sat up quickly, mumbling an apology. However, when she looked up properly and saw whom she had run into, she felt a wave of fear run over her.

Scorpius Malfoy was sitting opposite her, rubbing his nose, which had collided with one of the compartment doors during the run in. He looked so menacing, and even without saying one word to her, he already scared the living daylights out of her.

"Watch where you're going!" He shouted, standing up and dusting imaginary dust off his black sweatshirt. He gave her a deadly stare that seemed to frown down upon her, considering she was still on the ground.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to…" She trailed off when his eyes lost that cold glare, and turned into something else, something else that reminded her of the sky on a warm summer day.

Was that, regret, in his eyes? She couldn't be sure, all she knew was that he was quickly walking away. She turned and saw his striking hair disappear down the crowded hallways. Without another word, she picked herself up off the floor, and then took a slower pace to her family's compartment. Whether or not she would remember most of her first year of Hogwarts in the years to come, she knew she would remember one thing. Scorpius Malfoy and his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

***Five years later***

Chapter One: Rose POV

"If it rains one more time this week, I swear I'm going to break someone's arm." I thought to myself. The sky was gray, big drops of rain falling from it like it was sobbing. The rain lashed at the windows, gathering at the windowpane and making it nearly impossible to see outside at all. I sat at one of the small tables in the Gryffindor common room, a Charms essay spread out before me, only a few inches written on the page. My quill sat ready, poised for my intelligence to spill out onto the parchment, the inkbottle just waiting for something to happen. Sadly, I was distracted at the moment, and for the first time ever; Charms homework was not my first priority. My sixth year of Hogwarts had just started, and my long time sweetheart, Robin Hemming of Ravenclaw house had promptly dumped me on the way to school. I had cried for hours afterward, not even caring about more important things like being awarded prefect that previous year, or having been suggested to by Professor McKinnon, my Transfiguration teacher, that I take private lessons with him, as one of his most gifted students in a long time. These things were minor now, pushed into the back of my mind, while Robin stood front and center, parading around my thoughts, his last few words to me replaying in my head. "We're just not good for each other." Bullshit! We had been dating since fourth year, and he chooses now to tell me this? Absolute bullshit.

I turned my attention back to my Charms essay. It wasn't due for a week, and yet I had felt the strong urge, as always, to get it done as soon as possible. It seemed silly to be doing homework, while everyone else was mingling in the common room, enjoying themselves. I took a look at my cousins and my brother, huddled around the fireplace, laughing about something funny James had said. It looked so homey and peaceful over there, and I instantly felt guilty about shutting them out when Robin had dumped me. They were my family after all, and if anyone could help me get through this, they could. I swept my essay off of the table, throwing it into my school bag and made my way over to the fireplace.

"Hey, look who it is!" James said happily, looking up from his armchair. "Rosie, how have you been? Haven't seen you since we first got on the train!"

I smiled weakly at him. James' happy attitude was almost contagious, and I felt silly to feel so depressed and weak, and oddly enough, feminine.

"Had a bit of an epidemic." I explained, sitting down between Dominique, my cousin, and Lily, my other cousin. They were my best friends and had been since we were toddlers running around my grandparent's house in nothing but our nappies. Dominique was my age, with stunningly beautiful veela inherited looks and big, round eyes. Lily was two years below us, but funnily enough, more mature than James and Albus put together. She had long red hair, and brilliant green eyes. Everyone had said that she looked like Uncle Harry's mum, and according to pictures, I had no choice but to believe them. She was the spitting image of her grandmother and namesake, Lily Evans.

"What kind of an epidemic?" Albus asked from the spot in front of James' armchair. "Didn't get an outstanding on your Potions O.W.L.?"

Everyone laughed, and I suppressed a chuckle myself.

"No, actually," I said. My smile faded, and was replaced by a frown I had grown used to over the past week. "Robin dumped me."

Almost everyone was immediately shocked. It was a known fact around the school that Robin and I were the "it" couple. We had been dating since fourth year, both got good grades, both were apparently "acceptably attractive", and always got each other perfect gifts for Valentine's Day.

"That bastard!" James yelled, sitting up in his armchair so quickly, Albus almost fell face forward onto the rug.

"When did this happen?" Dominique asked, putting an arm around my shoulder. Her concerned look made me feel even worse for telling them about it, and my eyes began to brim with tears that usually were reserved for bedtime.

"On the train." I managed to choke out, before tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and wet like the rain outside.

"Don't cry Rose," Lily said, patting my shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright. If he doesn't want you, he doesn't deserve you."

I tried to smile, but instead only cried harder. These tears were different from the ones I had shed only nights before. These were even more heart wrenching, because they were mixed with the grief from my lost relationship with Robin and the realization that my family cared very much for me.

"I'm going to take her upstairs." Dominique said. She helped me up, keeping an arm around my shoulders and half pulling me to the girl's dormitories. Lily followed soon after, bringing my school bag with her and reassuring the rest of the family that I would see them later. Dominique helped me into some comfortable sweats and a hoodie before setting me down on my bed, and patting my back while I cried.

Lily came up again after a little while with a cup of tea. By then, my tears had subsided and I was simply hiccupping into my pillows while Dominique continued to rub my back soothingly.

"James nicked this from the kitchens." Lily explained, setting the tea down on my bedside table. I sat up, my head aching and my eyes sore and puffy.

"Tell him I said thanks." I whispered. I gratefully took a sip from the tea, the warmth of it spreading through me and making me strangely tired.

"I'm sorry." I croaked, as Lily sat on my bed.

"For what?" Dominique asked. I took another sip of tea, this one larger. The tea scalded my tongue, but I could barely find it in myself to care. The feeling was numb anyway.

"For breaking down like this. I didn't think it would be this bad. I thought I would be over him by now…" I trailed off with some more tea. Now that I had a clear head, and the tea had cooled some, I was able to detect the taste, and almost smiled at the thought of James and how he knew exactly how much sugar to put in my tea. Almost.

"Nonsense, you needed it. You guys had been dating forever; it's healthy to get more upset about it than normal." Lily said. I felt the urge to laugh. Even in situations like this, Lily always kept a cool head, and seemed to know exactly what to say.

"Thanks for helping me. It's funny; I don't even think I care anymore. It still hurts, but not as much." I said, feeling silly for acting so childish. I finished off the tea with one last sip, and Lily took it hurriedly.

"No problem. You're our best friend. We'll always be here when you need a shoulder to cry on about something…or someone…" Dominique smiled, patting my hand. "Get some sleep." She ordered in a calming voice. I nodded, and fell against my pillows. Sleep came easily with my warm comforter, the dark, empty dorm room and the sound of rain against my window. Huh. Maybe the rain wasn't so bad after all.

**A/N: Hi! To whoever is reading this, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule just to read my newest story, Unexpected. This is going to be a Scorpius/Rose story, as they are one of my favorite HP couples. Don't worry, Scorpius will be introduced to the story again, and even a few chapters will be in his POV. Most of them will be Rose, but when I feel like I really need to get into Scorpius' head, or I think I need to write a chapter in his POV to get a point across, I'll be writing in his POV. Only the intro will be written in a narrator's POV, since I feel the characters are more in depth if they're telling the story themselves. Anyway, enough with my rambling. How do you like it? Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions as to where I should take this story, tell me them too! I really like how this is coming along so far. Also, there will be little mention of Robin in this story unless he just happens to be in the same room as Rose or Scorp or something. He really isn't all that important, and the only reason he's mentioned here, is because he's actually an important part to Rose and Scorpius meeting again for the first time since the encounter on the train. Thanks again, and enjoy the rest of this story! (Oh, and P.S. I will be putting an author's note at the end of every chapter just for some explaining. And don't worry; most of them will not be as long as this one. The only time I won't put one up is if I'm really tired or I immediately want to start on the next chapter. Also, sorry this chapter was kinda short…) –Yours in eternity. 3 **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2:

Gold light shined through my eyelids, causing me to wake up. My eyes were practically swollen shut from all of my crying last night, and I felt my cheeks burn. I hadn't meant to cry so much, honestly. It just…happened. I was hoping it would never happen again because I hated feeling so vulnerable to my emotions and Robin was definitely not worth all the trouble. I forced open my eyes, waking up to the dormitory bathed in morning light. I could see the corner of Dominique's bed and her perfectly manicured hand hanging down off the covers. Her trademark, flaw of a snore filled the room. I almost laughed. Turning over slightly, I could see the other two girls who shared our dormitory. One of them was Roxanne Pickens; a headstrong Gryffindor who we had instantly became friends with ever since she put plastic snakes under our pillows in our first year. The seemingly muggle trick had caused us to overlook the prank itself, and get to know the real Roxanne, who had been raised in a muggle orphanage her whole life. The other girl in our room was Grace Wumbledar, someone who was so quiet and shy all the time; I often forgot that she was capable of human speech. I stretched my arms and legs, swinging them over the side of the bed and reaching the hardwood floors.

It was Saturday, and today, I was determined not to let Robin get to me. I quietly crept across the dorm to the bathroom, and readied myself for the day. The warm shower I decided to take helped me think, and after a few minutes, the dormitory was filled with sounds. Roxanne was humming a popular muggle song she had heard on the radio over the summer. I could hear the turning of the pages of Grace's book. Dominique continued to snore, but I knew she would be awake soon. I stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, and dressed in the same hoodie I had fallen asleep in, and some shorts. Hogwarts didn't really have a dress code on weekends, and the warm summer air that lingered refused to leave. Still, the rain from last night that had finally stopped had left a slight chill to the air, and I hugged my body tight as I made my way downstairs to the common room.

It was completely empty downstairs except for Albus, who had fallen asleep on one of the couches, a Transfiguration book open on his stomach. I smiled as I placed a hand on his forehead, immediately losing it in his messy black hair. He turned his head to my hand in his sleep, a peaceful look overtaking him. When he wasn't awake, he could be pretty quiet. I took one last look at him before leaving the common room through the portrait hole and taking a familiar path to the great hall for some breakfast.

On Saturdays, usually no one gets up as early as I do. This is something I have grown to savor in the passing years. I hardly ever get time to myself because of my huge family and my other friends and peers constantly surrounding me. The house tables were scattered with a few random people, all half asleep and munching on pieces of toast. I sat down at the Gryffindor table, reaching for a glass of orange juice.

Scanning the hall, I noticed how empty the Slytherin table was. There were only two people, Scorpius Malfoy, and his best friend Hayden DeMoine. I had tried to avoid Scorpius over the years ever since that episode on the train that I could still remember vividly. He had scarred me with that look, and every time I looked at him, it would just come back to me. However right now, Scorpius looked a mess. His regularly immaculately styled hair was disheveled and his eyes looked tired, like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a few weeks. He kind of reminded me of myself. He was looking at the copy of the Daily Prophet in his lap, so I was free to stare at him all I liked while he was preoccupied. Hayden was falling asleep against the table, and I knew he would never realize I was looking at either of them.

Feeling like a stalker, I sipped my orange juice and stared at Scorpius. No— stared felt like a strong word for the situation; like I was spying on him or something (which I wasn't.) I racked my brain to come up with a new word. Observed! That's right, I was observing Scorpius.

Anyway, I guess I had started to doze off or something. I hadn't even realized that my orange juice was empty, or that Scorpius was staring back at me. Blushing, I averted my gaze. I had inherited what was called "the Weasley blush", most often used by my dad. Scorpius must have known I was observing him by now, because of my violently pink cheeks. I searched the hall for something to look at other than Scorpius. A few other people had come into the hall in the meantime, and I landed on a familiar face with deep brown hair and striking green eyes. Robin.

My stomach lurched. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be avoiding Robin today. My world went crazy, what the hell was happening? I couldn't stay in the hall any longer. I stood up, sprinting out the doors, accidentally knocking a few people over but not truly caring. I ran down the corridors, willing my legs to move faster, trying to get as far away from Robin as possible. Finally, I found an empty classroom, and I ran inside, quickly shutting the door behind me.

I slid down the door to the floor, taking deep breaths from exhaustion. Why was he doing this to me? I wasn't supposed to care about Robin anymore, so why did I? Why was he able to get to me this way? I broke down in silent sobs, though no tears came. My body shook, but I couldn't find it in myself to cry anymore. I shook from not understanding, from feeling weak, and from hoping beyond all hope that Robin would not come looking for me.

It took all of my will power to stand up, heave myself over to a desk, and lean against it, away from the door. I continued to sob, unable to stop. Was I going crazy? Probably.

The room was quiet, except for my quick breaths and the few sounds from the window. It was so quiet, I could hear the door handle opening, and I snapped my head up to meet the eyes of none other than Scorpius Malfoy.

**A/N: Ooh! Suspenseful much? Let me know what you think and if this story is going anywhere! Good news is, I have the first few chapters already typed up so there won't be a long wait in between until later and I might work on one tonight Thanks for the review Youknowwho not Voldemort ;) **

**~ Yours in eternity :***


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3:

Scorpius POV:

I don't know why I had followed Weasley that day. I didn't care what she thought. I didn't care that she looked like her whole world was slowly falling apart. I certainly didn't care that some part of me believed that I owed her somehow. I at least tried not to care. We weren't friends. We weren't exactly enemies either, but we definitely weren't friends. I don't know why I got up and followed her out the door when she ran out. I don't know why she was staring at me, and I wanted to find out. Maybe that was why I had followed her. I roamed the hallways for a bit, trying to find her, finally coming across the empty Muggle Studies classroom. I almost laughed as I put my hand on the doorknob. Being the cocky jerk I was; I had vowed to never set foot in this classroom on my first day of Hogwarts. Now here I was, going in just to find some girl I really didn't care about.

I turned the handle, finding Weasley leaning against a desk, shaking. She didn't see me yet, and the first thing I thought was that she was having a seizure. Why else would she be shaking uncontrollably without making a sound? She must not have realized how quiet she was because she was dead silent; so silent, it was scary. I stepped forward, and then, to my relief and terror, she looked at me.

Her eyes, normally the color of warm chocolate, were bloodshot, and crazed. Her lips trembled, but there were no tears. Was that even possible? To be crying when you're not really crying? She just looked at me, like I was some savior, and suddenly, I didn't know what to do. I was smooth with girls, I wouldn't deny it, and Weasley was attractive, I couldn't deny that either. However, I had never been confronted with a crying girl before. Feeling stupid, I said, "Are you okay?"

First answer that came to my mind was, "No, obviously she is not okay. Are you really that dumb?" My face reddened.

She sniffed, and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it. She hung her head, and didn't look at me anymore.

I was starting to panic. What was I supposed to do now? Go down there and comfort her? I opened my mouth to say something, and then something spilled out I hadn't really meant to say.

"Why were you looking at me?" I instantly felt guilt, partly because I had forced the question on her, and partly because I wasn't making her feel better. Not that I had been trying to or anything, but I wasn't exactly helping the situation by asking her random questions.

She looked at me again, and croaked out, "I don't know."

I felt something wash over me. It felt like annoyance.

"Well," I trailed off, not knowing whether or not to keep going on about the staring thing, or whether to comfort her. "Well, what's wrong?"

She wouldn't answer me. I sighed, and took another step forward. I closed the door, and sat right next to her. Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat.

"I'm going to sit here until you tell me what's wrong, Weasley. I have plans for the day, so I hope you're not going to make me sit here with you all morning."

She sniffed again, turning her head towards mine.

"I'm going to keep talking too, because I tend to ramble when confronted with an awkward situation, and maybe it's just me, but this situation seems pretty damn awkward."

She laughed softly. I smiled slightly; at least I was getting some reaction out of her. Then her expression changed. Something pretty close to confusion I thought.

"Why do you care? We're not friends."

I thought about this. Why did I care? I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it was because she had been staring at me, or maybe because I was incredibly compassionate deep down inside.

"I don't know." I said. It seemed like that answer broke the ice, and suddenly Weasley was spilling her guts out to me. She told me the whole story, all about some guy named Robin and how he had dumped her earlier that year. I was surprised to actually find myself listening. Normally, things around me seemed so fake and surreal. Weasley was real, and her problems were silly, but real. I guess I was attracted to this because it was such a change.

I hadn't even realized how late it was getting, and when I looked down at my watch and saw the time, I practically jumped up from the ground.

"Shit." I muttered. I was supposed to meet Hayden on the Quidditch pitch about thirty minutes ago, and Hayden was not the most patient person I had ever met. I grabbed my wand, stuffed it in my pocket and started to run out the door.

I was almost halfway down the hallway when I remembered that Weasley was still in the room, and she had been having what seemed like an extremely heartfelt conversation with me. I stumbled back to the door and saw her looking up at me with those sad, brown eyes. Hurt was written across her face, and in that moment, I felt like a complete and total ass.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." I said quickly, hoping she wouldn't hex me for almost ditching her. In my defense, I did run back and apologize, which must count for something right?

"It's okay. We all have our sorry lives to get back to." She croaked out.

I smirked, and opened my mouth to say something else, when I felt a hand pull my collar from behind. Whipping around, I saw Hayden looking at me with an expression mixed with anger and annoyance.

"Mate, what has been taking you so long?" He asked.

I glanced over at Weasley, still huddled on the floor, and Hayden looked past me to see her better. Once he had gotten a clear look, he rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you were wasting your time with a blood traitor like her."

My face flushed again. Hayden had me on the spot. If I revealed that I had been spending time with Weasley, my whole bad-ass reputation would be ruined, and I had spent a solid six years building it up around this school.

I looked over at Weasley, who was looking at me like I was supposed to say something in her defense. Why? We weren't even friends, and I had never spoken to her before in my life. The whole conversation had been in the moment, and I made my decision.

"No way mate, you know how girls are." I said arrogantly. I felt something in me that may have been defined as guilt, but I pushed it out of my head for the moment, and was determined not to look at Weasley's face. Hayden scoffed.

"I know how girls work, man. Weasleys are a completely different story, now let's go."

I followed him down the hallway, and almost felt a twinge of regret somewhere in my stomach. I pushed it away. What did I care about Weasley? We weren't friends. Our families certainly weren't friends. So what if I feel like I owe her and every god damn person in their oversized family something? I pushed it all away, and vowed never to speak to Rose Weasley again.

**A/N: So what do you think of Scorpius? *wiggles eyebrows suggestively* I might upload another chapter today since like I said before it's already typed in the beginning but I might edit the next chapter today instead. Thanks so much for the reviews and support I'm getting for this story! I might try to get pictures of the characters for you guys too but I'm not sure if that's something you'd like.**

**Until next chapter,**

**~ yours in eternity :***


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Rose's POV:

"No! Not that one, get the purple one!" Dominique whined.

I sighed impatiently. For the last twenty minutes, Dominique had been obsessing over her makeup, clothes, and hair. The reason? Colin Finnegan's annual start of the year party.

This event was legend around Hogwarts, and had been going on since our third year when Colin spiked the pumpkin juice bottles in the kitchen with fire whiskey and served it to every Gryffindor in the common room and beyond. It soon became an impromptu party and Colin had been carrying out the tradition ever since. This year, it had been rumored that Colin had brought in a special Irish whisky and had filled piles upon piles of cauldron cakes with it. Every student wanted to try some; so naturally, every student would be in the Gryffindor common room that night.

Dominique has had a long standing crush on a mister Fletcher Patterson of Ravenclaw house. And yes, the other houses are invited to Colin's party. Word of the party gets around, and soon everyone knows the password to the common room. Usually we have most of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff lots arrive, and a few brave Slytherins. Every year, Dominique has tried to hit it off with Fletcher, and every year she came to no success. Fletcher had been dating a certain Lucy Longbottom of Gryffindor house up until the end of last year. Apparently, she had dropped him like a hot cauldron for another student in Ravenclaw and left Fletcher heartbroken. I know Lucy, and even though her dad was an innocent sweetheart back in his day at Hogwarts, and a damn good Herbology major now, she has never been a goody two shoes.

"Pass me the lip gloss!" Dominique said, holding her hand out expectantly.

"Which one? There must be at least twenty here!" I replied, looking among the vast lot of pinks, corals, and reds littering her bedspread.

"It doesn't matter! As long as it's pink and very sparkly!" She demanded. I picked up one that looked acceptable and handed it to her.

"Is all this really worth it?" I asked uncertainly. The party was due to start in a few minutes and Dominique wasn't close to being ready. Her hair was still in curlers and her outfit was still spread out on my bed across the room. I had been finished ten minutes ago. Tonight I was wearing a light red sweater with a gold tank top underneath to honor dear old Gryffindor house, skinny jeans, and gold sandals that I had fished out of my closet. My hair was in a loose ponytail, and I had a little bit of shimmer on my eyelids and a creamy lipstick.

"Of course it is! Do you know why?" Dominique said excitedly. She was taking the curlers out of her hair now.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Tonight's the night Fletcher will finally kiss me!"

I rolled my eyes. Dominique was beautiful and available, and every boy in Hogwarts was very aware of that. However, she only had eyes for Fletcher.

"Is he?" I asked. She sent me a shooting glare. "I mean, he and Lucy just broke it off a few months ago, don't you think it's a bit soon for him to start dating another girl?"

"Is it? I think it's been far too long myself." Dominique answered.

"Yeah, well, time can seem different when you've been dumped." I muttered.

Dominique looked horrified.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Rose! Here I am going on about Fletcher, and you've just ended things with Robin!"

"It's okay. Really, go knock Fletcher dead!" I said half-heartedly. She smiled at me sadly and then left to change into her partying outfit. I sat back on my bed and picked up a faded muggle romance novel that was sitting on my bedside table. My mum secretly adored these and had a whole box full under her and Dad's bed. I found the box a couple of years ago and started eating the books up. The titles were stupid, the covers were stupider, but the stories were brilliant. It was easy to get lost in a good romance and picture yourself as the leading lady being swept off by the man of your choice. Up until now, that man had always been Robin, and I suddenly had a strong urge to chuck the book across the room.

I could hear music booming downstairs and voices floating up the dormitory stairs from the common room. The party had already started.

"Dominique, are you ready?" I called.

"Nearly!" She yelled from the bathroom.

I didn't even want to go to this party, but my family insisted that everyone absolutely had to come, and Dominique wouldn't go unless I did. She came out from the bathroom looking…well, stunning.

She was wearing a shimmery silver top, dark jeans, black boots and a red and gold bracelet. Her hair was a mass of blonde, bouncy curls and her makeup looked no less than perfect.

"How do I look?" She asked, twirling around.

"Sexy." I answered with a wink. She giggled.

"Do you think Fletcher will like it?"

"It'll knock him off his guard, that's for sure." Dominique looked satisfied and we made our way down the stairs.

The party was already blooming when we stepped into the common room. The room was full of people donned in red and gold, and I could spot a few random Ravenclaw girls standing by the fireplace. James was chatting them up and I rolled my eyes. Leave it to him to roll out the "welcome mat" as he liked to call it.

Albus came up to us, two beers in his hands. He handed one to me and one to Dominique.

"Hello, ladies!" He said loudly and swaying slightly. I could tell he had already had one too many drinks.

"What's in this?" I asked, gesturing to my cup.

"It's just butterbeer." He said. "Why? Do you want something stronger?"

"No. Definitely not." I never drank more than one drink at a party, and never something heavy anyway.

"Want a cauldron cake?" Colin asked, coming up to us with a bowl full of chocolate cakes. I loved chocolate, but I knew there was Irish whiskey inside, and I didn't dare get tipsy tonight.

"No thanks." I said politely. Colin looked slightly disappointed. He had had a little crush on me since second year, and according to Albus he had never really gotten over it.

"I'll take one!" Dominique said. She was already swaying to the music and she reached for a cake. Colin looked slightly happier and went off to offer cakes to other party goers, but not before Albus could grab three cakes.

Dominique and I mingled a bit, and darted to the other side of the room when I saw Robin hanging out with the same Ravenclaw girls James had been flirting with earlier. After a while, I knew she had had enough waiting.

"Have you seen Fletcher around yet?" She asked me. I shook my head. Granted, the common room was packed. It was easily the largest turnout Colin had had yet.

"I'm going to find him." She said determinedly and she shoved her butterbeer into my hands.

"Wait!" I called after her, but she was gone. Dominique had already consumed a spiked cauldron cake and two butterbeers. I was hoping she wouldn't embarrass herself.

I sauntered over to the couches by the fireplace and sat down. Leave it to Dominique to ditch me and leave me with no one to talk to all night. Even if she didn't find Fletcher, she would be swept off her feet by another guy eventually. Chances were I wouldn't see her until very late tonight. I sipped what was left of my butterbeer and was planning on people watching when Colin slipped into the seat beside me.

"Two butterbeers Weasley? Didn't know you had it in you!" He said loudly. His breath smelled like beer and chocolate. In case you're wondering, it's not a good mixture.

"This one is Dominique's." I said, lifting up the cup in my hand.

Colin eyed it, and then took it. He downed it in one gulp.

"Thanks, Rosie! I needed that! Speaking of Dom, any idea where she's headed off to?" He asked. I barely had time to point in the other direction when he was off again. I guess his little crush on "Rosie" was really gone for good.

After Colin was gone, I headed over to a table by the window and sat down. It was quieter over here, and I hoped I would attract less attention. I looked around the room and saw a couple of Hufflepuffs by the beer taps. On the other side of the room, some Ravenclaws were having a deep conversation with James, Albus and Hugo, the lucky blokes. Hugo's date must have been at least three inches taller than him, and that wasn't quite the reason his gaze kept drifting to her chest more than her eyes while they talked. There weren't that many Slytherins around, but there were a couple mingling, and some in corners talking amongst themselves and snacking on cauldron cakes.

All in all, it seemed to be a good party. I turned to the window and salvaged the sight of a clear dark sky dotted with stars. It hadn't been raining ever since the last day I had really cried about Robin, not counting the time with Scorpius. That day's memories kept coming back to me. In the moment, it felt so right to be telling someone everything I had needed to say and I had been pleasantly surprised when Scorpius looked like he was actually listening. I guess that's why it hurt so much when he left with Hayden. Then again, I shouldn't have spilled my guts out to him like that. I barely knew the guy for Merlin's sakes!

As I was thinking, I heard giggling behind me. Some couple had snuck into the doorway of the boy's dormitories. There was a boy's familiar deep voice murmuring quietly and a girl's annoyingly high pitched giggles coming from the corner. I turned around slowly to see who it was, and my breath caught in my throat. Standing in the half closed door of the dormitories was Lucy Longbottom and Robin.

Lucy had left Fletcher just before the summer of our fifth year. That was the year that Robin had bought me a necklace in Hogsmeade with my name on it and kissed me in the storeroom in the Potions classroom. That was also apparently the year that Robin had cheated on me with her. My blood was boiling in my veins and I was heavily tempted to throw open the door and scream at Robin until my vocal chords couldn't take it anymore. However, I had had a drink that night, and I knew even a little alcohol could make things spiral out of control more than I wanted them too.

I fled from my seat and headed straight for the beer taps. What was one more little drink? I waited in line and walked away feeling slightly better with the burn of butterbeer in my throat. I speed walked to the other side of the room, closer to the portrait hole and was determined not to think about Robin or Lucy. I tried to find Dominique in the crowd, but since I had sneaked away from the party scene, the number of people there seemed to have multiplied. I spotted James and Hugo on the couches with their dates…snogging. Lovely. Where was Albus? He might have been drunk, but right now I really needed someone to talk to. I thought I saw the back of his head over by some armchairs, and started to push my way through to get there.

It was really packed, and I was getting pushed back towards the portrait hole when I bumped into someone and tumbled to the ground. It was a strange sense of déjà vu from my first year. It was even worse when I turned around and saw I had yet again knocked Scorpius Malfoy to the ground.

"We have to stop meeting this way." He muttered from the ground.

"Sorry." I mumbled, embarrassed. My Weasley blush was starting to creep across my face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. I was a bit surprised. I was a Gryffindor wasn't I?

"I should be asking you the same." I replied.

"Thought I might check the scene out." He said, shrugging. He was wearing a black leather jacket and a green sweater underneath. "And as for you, I guess you just never struck me as the party type."

An awkward silence stretched across us.

"Is Hayden with you?" I asked.

"He was." Scorpius looked around, and then pointed to the beer taps where Hayden was stocking up on butterbeer and cauldron cakes.

Another pause.

"You look down. Everything okay?" He asked. I looked up and saw his light blue eyes analyzing me.

"Why do you want to know? Going to ditch me again?" I spat. That was a bit harsh, but I had been having a bad night.

He winced. "Yeah…sorry 'bout that. You know how it is…"

"No, Mr. Malfoy. I'm not sure I do. I'll see you around." I said coldly. I spun on my heel and left him standing at the portrait hole. I really needed to find Dominique now.

I grabbed Finley Thomas, who was passing by with drinks.

"Have you seen Dominique?" I asked.

"Dominique Weasley? Last I saw her, she and Colin were snogging by the girl's dormitories."

Colin? As in Colin Finnegan? Huh. I guess even the oddest couples can happen.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5:

The morning following the party, all Dominique could talk about was Colin Finnegan. In only a few short hours, she had completely transferred her love interest and now would not shut up about it.

"Oh, Rosie you should have seen him!" She sighed happily at breakfast. I was listening like the best friend and cousin I was supposed to be though truthfully, I was far more interested in my bacon and toast than her antics of the previous night.

"I was crying because I saw Fletcher with that awful Penny Bakers from Hufflepuff and he came right up to me! Do you know what he said Rosie?"

"No. What could he have possibly said?" I asked sarcastically.

"He said 'any guy who could turn you down would have to be mental!'" She squealed with delight. I admit, it was nice to see Dominique smiling about another male other than Fletcher, especially since this one was actually paying her some attention.

"Oh, he was the sweetest thing all night! He comforted me and when he kissed me…" She trailed off, staring at a fixed point in the ceiling. A dreamy smile spread across her face and she absently twirled her wand, causing her toast to rise in the air and flop off the table.

I glanced down the end of the table. Speak of the devil, here came Colin Finnegan strutting down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table. He was closely followed by Finley Thomas.

"Don't look now, but here comes Sir Dreamboat." I whispered to Dominique.

Colin stopped next to Dominique, pressed a big kiss to her hair and sat down next to her. Her face lit up immediately.

"Morning, beautiful." He said happily.

Finley stood by awkwardly. There really wasn't room for him to sit down now. I patted the space next to me, feeling friendly.

"Come on, Finley. Join the single side of the table." He flashed a grin and sat down next to me, reaching for a roll and some tea.

"Thanks." He said, now buttering his roll.

I finished my breakfast and left for the library, letting Dominique know where I was going. I hardly think she heard me however. She and Colin were shooting lovesick glances at each other as they ate.

It was a quiet Saturday morning and I planned to spend it studying for an upcoming Potions test I had heard would be quite difficult. I took a longer way to the library that led me by some windows. It was a gorgeous day outside; the sun shining bright against a clear blue sky. There was a light breeze rustling the trees and the lake glittered like blue diamonds against the green. If I had been any good at Quidditch, I would have thought about heading down to the pit. Though I like flying and I'm not necessarily bad at it, Quidditch was not one of my strong suits. Hugo had never been on a broom before because he had acquired mum's fear of heights and flying. So our side of the Potter-Weasley family wasn't exactly Quidditch oriented.

The other side was bursting with talent. James was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year and took it very seriously. There were days over the summer where he would do nothing but polish his Quidditch captain's badge and plan out plays and moves. Albus was a prize seeker on the Quidditch team, following in the footsteps of his father while James was the highly respected Keeper. Lily was like me. Good at flying, but not into Quidditch. Still, no one showed more support than her at a school game and she always practiced with Al over the summer when James was with his girlfriend.

I stopped by one of the windows and leaned against the frame. Perhaps today I could study outside. While the thought was entering my mind, I hadn't heard certain company approach me from behind and that's why I was thoroughly startled when Scorpius Malfoy appeared next to me.

"Lovely day." He remarked casually. I jumped about a foot in the air.

"What?" He asked, faking a hurt expression. "Do I offend?"

"Yes. A face like yours should come with a warning." I said coldly as I leaned down to pick up a book I had dropped.

He winced. "Ouch. That one actually hurt a little. My heart is stinging." He rubbed a hand over his chest. I rolled my eyes.

"Glad to know I caused some feeling. Granted, I didn't know you had a heart." I felt accomplished with my response and proceeded to walk away towards the library. Malfoy however followed me.

"What did I do to deserve such cold treatment?" He asked. I knew he was probably joking, but it was a sick joke. He had to know he had caused me some pain when he left me hanging. Malfoy and I had never been friends and we still weren't friends. That didn't mean he couldn't pretend it had never happened.

"You know well what you did."

"I truly am sorry for that. I feel like an arse for it." He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture I was starting to notice. He did it subconsciously.

I continued to walk, Malfoy falling into step beside me.

"Why are you even talking to me?" I asked, genuinely interested. As stated before, we weren't friends.

"I can't talk to you now?" He asked. I didn't answer. "Okay. Well, if you must know. Hayden is spending the day with his new girlfriend and if you haven't noticed, I haven't got any other friends. So that leaves you."

"Me? Why me? Up until this year, I had never talked to you in my life. Now we're acquaintances?"

"No one ever said we were enemies. Jesus, Weasley. If you want me to leave, you can say so. I'm bored and looking for something to do. I saw you, and I want to make up for my atrocious behavior in the past."

I thought about this. It would be amusing to have Malfoy on my side for once. Not that he had ever done anything against me before, but there was an invisible line between the Potter-Weasley clan and everyone else at the school. People knew who they were and if they could cross the line.

"Alright, Malfoy. You can make it up to me."

"How so?"

"Do what I say." I replied.

"As in?" He responded cockily.

"You know. Do some of my homework when I'm tired, carry my books, deliver my mail for me. Nothing huge. Oh, and you'll listen to my problems. All of them. Without leaving this time."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "How many could you possibly have?"

"I'm a teenage girl Malfoy. I've just been dumped by my longtime boyfriend, found out he already has a new girlfriend, and my best friend is lovesick and unable to communicate with."

He stopped. "Ah, I see. Well then, hand them over."

A confused look crossed my face. "Hand what over?"

"The books." He gestured to the many textbooks in my hand. "I thought you said I was to carry them."

I almost smiled. Placing the books in his hands, I readjusted my bag on my shoulder and kept walking.

"Where to?" He asked, now walking slower with the weight of the books but keeping a steady pace behind me.

"The library. I've got some studying to do and you're to keep quiet while I do it and help me take notes."

I could almost feel the smirk on his face.

"Weasley, my hand hurts."

I ignored him.

"I must have taken a thousand pages of notes already. My hand is cramping. It's bloody painful."

Silence.

"Have a look." He pushed the notes over my parchment. I thumbed through them.

"Please, Malfoy. You've only taken three pages. And I thought you were going to keep quiet."

He took the notes back and continued writing.

"Is this what you do every Saturday?" He asked. I didn't answer again. Maybe if I didn't talk to him, he wouldn't be encouraged to interrupt me.

"It's bloody boring here. Too quiet and stuffy."

"It's a library. It's supposed to be quiet and stuffy." I answered stiffly. I had taken about five or six pages of quality notes and was now ready to revise them.

"It's also a Saturday morning. No lessons, and you're basically still in school." He drawled. He had completely stopped writing altogether. I took the notes from him and sorted them in with mine.

"Don't you ever have fun?" He asked me. I shot him a look.

"I went to that party last night, didn't I?"

"You hardly looked like you were having fun."

"Well, what would you like to do Malfoy, seeing as I'm not going to get any work done with you chatting me up here."

"Let's go outside. It's a beautiful day and you're spending it indoors. Not to mention, you're white as the Bloody Baron."

"I am not!"

"Weasley, I've met albinos tanner than you."

I rolled my eyes again. Stuffing the notes in my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and stood up.

"Well come on then. I suppose I can revise these outside. I was actually thinking of studying out there anyway until you came earlier."

"Why didn't you say anything then?" Malfoy grabbed my books and hurried towards the exit.

Within a few minutes, we were out the castle doors and on the grounds. It was a beautiful day. Students were all over the place. There were some first years at Hagrid's hut carving pumpkins for Halloween (which was next month) and some fourth years by the greenhouses.

Malfoy led the way down to the lake where several students were spread out around it, surrounding the perimeter. A few boys were even swimming in the lake, splashing girls on the grass. I always thought people who actually swam in the lake were mad. Didn't they know there was a giant squid down there? And I had heard enough tales from Uncle Harry about demon mermaids living on the bottom.

Malfoy finally stopped at a tree near the water's edge and sat down. I accompanied him and pulled out my notes and a quill.

"You're not really working are you?" Malfoy asked in disbelief.

"I thought that's what we came down here to do."

"Maybe that's what you came for. I came to relax." He placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. I resisted from making a snarky comment.

It was almost peaceful, editing my notes and feeling the breeze while Malfoy quietly "relaxed" beside me. I actually got done earlier than I thought I would and seeing that Malfoy really was asleep, I pulled out a muggle romance novel and opened to the creased page.

Time passed and it was so quiet that I almost forgot Malfoy was next to me. That is, until he grabbed the cover of the book and pulled it towards him to see it.

"Summer Meadow Skies." He snorted and looked up at me. "You really read this shit?"

"Shut up, Malfoy." I returned to my book, determined to ignore him.

He got up and stretched, and then started making his way towards the lake. Good, now I'm rid of him for a minute I thought to myself.

However I was rid of him for less than a minute. In less than thirty seconds, Malfoy had managed to splash me from the lake's edge; single-handedly destroying my book, my hair and most of the contents of my bag.

At first I was too shocked to say anything. But as Malfoy doubled over with laughter and other students started to stare, my speech came back to me.

"You insufferable git!" I whipped my wand out of my pocket and had it against his chest in seconds.

"Relax, Weasley. It was only a joke!" He said, still smirking. "I'm just trying to get you to loosen up!"

"I'm loose!" I shouted louder than necessary. He rolled his eyes while smiling as if thinking 'poor girl. She's delusional'

"Could you please remove your wand?" He asked pointedly. I pocketed my wand and then grabbed my things. Malfoy could spend the rest of the day by himself for all I cared.

"Weasley, it was a joke!" He shouted. I ignored him. Maybe he found the whole thing incredibly funny, but being sopping wet had surprisingly not brightened my day. I fast walked back to the Gryffindor common room while grumbling curses under my breath. Albus was sitting by the fire with Hugo and James when they saw me.

"Why're you all wet Rosie?" Hugo asked.

"Because I decided to take a dip in the lake, fully clothed Hugo!" I snapped. Hugo looked taken aback.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" James spoke up. I sat down by the fire and started to dry off myself and my bag with my wand. Most of the notes I had so carefully copied in the library were ruined beyond repair.

"I'm sorry. I'm just angry."

"You've got that right." Albus said, pulling out his own wand and helping me dry some of my things. "So who got you wet then?"

"Scorpius Malfoy." I mumbled.

"What were you doing with that idiot?" James asked skeptically.

"Nothing. I hadn't planned to spend my day with him. Thanks Al." I tossed the destroyed notes into the fire and shouldered my bag.

"Where're you going?" Hugo asked as I started to leave.

"To the library to get these notes copied again. Thanks to Malfoy."

I thought about what James had said. What was I doing with Malfoy? The only thing he seemed to know how to do right was annoy me in various ways. I don't know why I put up with him. I would dismiss him from his "repayment" on Monday in Potions. God only knew if I could put up with such nonsense for however long it lasted.

**A/N: Hello! Here's another chapter for you all(: I like to think that Rose and Scorpius were never really bad enemies and I prefer to read them as friendly with some hard edge to the pair. How are you liking Scorpius? Review! I appreciate each and every one of them! New chapters coming soon, I promise!**

**~ yours in eternity :***


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6:

I was completely prepared to promptly end Malfoy's duties Monday morning. So prepared in fact, that I had planned exactly what I was going to say to him last night and perfected it in my sleep. Dominique and I headed out of the common room to get breakfast and I was in a particularly good mood until Colin showed up and gallantly walked Dom to breakfast down a more "secluded route." Bullshit. There's only one way downstairs from the seventh floor in case he hadn't noticed.

I walked to breakfast alone and took a seat between Albus and Lily once I got to the Great Hall. Colin and Dominique were nowhere to be found. Knowing Colin, he probably got lost on the way downstairs.

It was usual morning business as I poured myself some tea and Lily babbled on happily about lessons and Hogsmeade trips. The nearest one was the first weekend of October. Everyone was making plans but I planned to stay in. I didn't have anyone to go with now. Robin was most certainly not an option, Dominique would be going with Colin now and I didn't exactly desire his presence, Lily was going with her fourth year friends and I didn't feel like tagging along. I suppose I could go with James, Albus and Hugo; but they would most likely spend the whole time in Zonko's Joke Shop, which wasn't my favorite place in the world. The prospect of reading a book in front of the fire sounded much more pleasing than trudging around Hogsmeade in the cold alone.

I left for Potions five minutes before the bell rang. I was hoping to catch Malfoy so I could talk to him before class, but then again he wasn't at breakfast (did he ever eat?) and I didn't know where he hung out otherwise. If I was a mouthy, annoying, inconsiderate Slytherin, where would I be?

While I was standing outside the Great Hall thinking about whether I should just go to Potions and hope to find him there, Finley Thomas appeared in front of me.

"Hi, Rose." He said pleasantly with a smile. I smiled back.

"Morning, Finley."

"Seen Colin around?" He asked raking his fingers through his hair and scanning the Great Hall with his eyes. The movement reminded me of Malfoy. Why was I thinking about him?

"Last I saw him he was taking Dominique on an extended trip to breakfast." I said with an air of annoyance in my voice.

"Oh…" Finley's face fell. "I suppose I won't be seeing him until Charms then."

There was a slightly awkward silence. Finley flashed another smile. His teeth were rather white and straight. My grandparents would approve, seeing as they used to be dentists before they retired.

"Well, I'd best be going. Wanted to look over some notes before Potions." I said quickly. Finley looked disappointed. Or hungry. I couldn't tell which.

"Alright. See you around?" He asked. I nodded with a smile in response and made a left to go to the Potions corridor.

"Finley Thomas, eh Weasley?" A drawling voice cut through the silence.

"What are you talking about Malfoy?" I asked rather tiredly. I didn't even have to look to know that Scorpius was behind me and I sure wasn't surprised when he came up next to me.

"That's the second time you two have talked with a little too much smiling and awkward pauses." He continued.

"Awkward pauses? Have you been eavesdropping on all of my conversations Malfoy?" They weren't "awkward" pauses… Or at least I wouldn't admit that to him.

"Nope." He popped the p with his lips. "Just an innocent bystander forced to listen to your flirty drivel."

I rolled my eyes. Finley and I never flirted. "What do you even want Malfoy?"

"I came to carry your books. I thought we had a deal on that. Remember Saturday?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"How could I forget? I'm still wringing the water out of my hair."

"Oh, come on! It was one splash!"

"I've been meaning to talk to you anyway, Malfoy." I ignored his last remark. "I really don't think we should continue with the 'carrying the books bit'."

He looked confused but only for a moment.

"You're the one who suggested it." He said in an arrogant voice.

"I'm aware of that! I just don't think it needs to happen anymore."

"Look, I'm sorry I splashed you. It won't happen again." He said in a somewhat sincere voice.

"You're right. It won't happen again because you don't need to hang around me anymore just because you feel guilty!" I was getting rather annoyed. Couldn't he just continue to class?

"That's not why I hang around you Weasley." He said.

"Then why? I'm 'no fun' remember?"

"I hang around you to get a laugh once in a while, and because I actually think you're a decent human being."

"Oh, lovely." I mumbled. Now Malfoy thought I was a "decent human being". How did I even get into these messes?

"Just give me one more shot Weasley. I'll try not to screw this one up somehow." He gave me a trademark Slytherin smirk. I sighed and contemplated Malfoy and I being friends. His behavior in the last few weeks should have pointed to a big fat no. However, I suppose I was a bit harsh on him.

I shoved my books into his hands and pressed on to the dungeon entrance. Malfoy's smirk grew. He readjusted the books and followed me.

Potions class was run by a middle aged wizard named Professor McGregor. Word was that he was a muggle born who clawed his way to the top by getting top marks in school and then becoming an auror straight after graduating from Hogwarts. I wasn't sure if I believed this story however. If he was an auror, why on earth would he quit to come and teach at Hogwarts? Especially to this lot. Still, I wasn't complaining because he was a good teacher who knew how to get a class's attention and keep it.

I set up my cauldron as Scorpius placed my books on my desk and gave me a mock salute. I rolled my eyes and gave him a half smile. He went over to him and Hayden's desk in the back row where they excelled at goofing off and trying to throw the most ingredients across the room without getting caught. Dominique was already at our desk, looking rather pleased.

"I didn't see you at breakfast." I commented, setting up my cauldron while Professor McGregor wrote instructions on the board. We would be making a complex shrinking solution today and I cringed. The last time I made a shrinking solution, my partner accidentally spilled some on my hand and my fingers shrunk down to the size of tooth picks. Needless to say, I transferred partners the very next day.

"Oh. Colin wasn't very hungry…" Dominique answered with a coy smile. I pretended to vomit and she punched me lightly in the arm.

"Please spare me the details!" I said dramatically.

"Oh shut up!" Dom giggled. "Anyway, you should talk! Everyone has been saying that you and Finley were hitting it off lately. Anything you want to tell me?"

Was the whole school suddenly spying on me lately? "Not you too!" I groaned.

"What do you mean?" Dominique asked in a genuinely surprised voice.

"You're the second person to mention that today!"

"Who was the first?"

I considered telling Dominique about Malfoy my newly reinstated "slave." Then again, if I told her, it would somehow get back to James who would have more than a few things to say about it.

"No one. Just a random Slytherin." There. Not a complete lie.

Professor McGregor called for silence in the room and went on about instructions and ingredients for about ten minutes. Dominique kept playing with her hair and doodling Colin's name on her notebook. I nudged her hard in the arm. I didn't need another shrinking solution disaster in my life.

"You'll be working in partners and remember to be careful! We don't want any accidents!" Professor McGregor said seriously. I silently agreed with him.

"You have an hour to come up with one and the best group in class gets a special prize. I want to see what you lot have picked up over the last few lessons." Time started. Dom lit a fire under the cauldron at the desired temperature and I went to the store cupboard to get the ingredients. The list called for some things that inconveniently were on the top shelf. Unfortunately for me, I somehow hadn't inherited Dad's height or lankiness (maybe that part was good.)

I accio'd the stool in the corner and it came zooming towards me, nearly missing my shins. Climbing up the steps, I picked out the correct ingredients and was considering getting extras of everything when I heard a voice behind me.

"Careful, Weasley. Wouldn't want someone to accidentally kick that out from under you."

Malfoy.

"You wouldn't dare now would you Malfoy?" I turned to face him and hopped off the stool. "You've already had my wand on you this month; are you asking for trouble?"

"Nah. Just getting a laugh out of you." He said with a smile. Not a smirk, a genuine smile that seemed to light up the room somehow. Perhaps it was because it was rare to see him really smile. Or perhaps it was because his teeth were also very white and straight. I would have to report back to my grandparents at Christmas about the lack of cavities at Hogwarts.

Whatever the reason, I noticed how much smaller the room seemed to have gotten and how much closer Malfoy was than usual. I cleared my throat and looked away uncomfortably. He ran a hand through his hair again.

"Right. Well, I'll just—

"Yes. I'll be leaving. Good luck." I said, starting to move past him.

"With Hayden as my partner? I'll need a lot of luck." He flashed another real smile and I laughed as I had to agree with him. At the moment, Hayden was flicking slugs off the table and trying to get them to go down Evelyn Brown's shirt.

I returned to the table and me and Dominique started on the potion. Potions wasn't my best subject (I had only barely gotten an O for it on my owls last year), but it was Dominique's specialty. Apparently her mother had had a knack for it at Beuxbatons back when she was in school.

While we mixed the potion and crushed ingredients, I felt warmth spreading over my face as I recalled the moment with Scorpius in the store cupboard. I wish I could say it was only from the fire.

Did I really just call him Scorpius?

At the end of the lesson, Dominique nearly raced out the door to meet Colin before her Transfiguration lesson. I had a free period next, seeing as I was a NEWT student now and I took my time to put my notes and potions supplies back into my bag. Professor McGregor was talking to Scorpius and Hayden at the front of the room who had barely scraped an Acceptable on their slightly less than horrendous potion. Hayden looked like he could care less. Scorpius looked bored. He looked around at me and rolled his eyes with a smirk like he got these lectures all the time. Knowing him, he probably did.

I picked up my books and started to slowly leave the room. I suppose I was sort of waiting for Malfoy at the moment but I wasn't sure if I really had to. I knew we had this "arrangement" made but I didn't know if that applied to every day, all the time. When I was almost out the door, Professor McGregor addressed me.

"Miss Weasley, if you could come here for a moment."

What did he want? Was it me and Dom's potion? It got an E so I couldn't see a reason for a bashing about it. I noticed Malfoy was still standing at his desk while Hayden was packing his things in the back not really listening.

"Miss Weasley, how much free time do you have after school?" Professor McGregor asked. I was taken aback only slightly.

"Well I usually do my homework in the library or in the common room. Then I read or study or spend time with my family. I can't stay up late, I'm not good at it. So I suppose an hour or two with homework." Malfoy looked amused. I knew this would result in teasing later. I could almost hear his voice now: 'Do you ever have time to yourself Weasley? Homework and books literally take up all of your time!"

"Excellent! Then you wouldn't mind spending an hour with Mister Malfoy here to help him with his own studies."

Malfoy looked as surprised as I felt.

"You want me to tutor him, sir?" I asked in slight disbelief. I had tutored second years before but never someone my own age. Not to mention someone who was slowly turning my world upside down, and not completely in a negative way.

"I don't need a tutor." Malfoy said in a hard voice. He looked slightly embarrassed must mostly angry.

"Don't think of it as tutoring as much as… academic assistance!" Professor McGregor said. "I just think you could use some help on your work Mister Malfoy. You barely have a P in this class."

"I suppose I could use some company in the library tonight." I spoke up, trying to settle the tension.

"Splendid! One hour, that is all I ask of. If your grades improve Mister Malfoy, the arrangement need not happen. Off you go, I have to prepare for my next lesson." With that, Professor McGregor disappeared into his office.

Malfoy and I left the room in a slightly tense silence. He still carried my books but something was different. There was no sarcastic banter.

"Am I really that bad to spend time with Malfoy?" I asked in a teasing voice.

He gave a short laugh. "It's nothing against you Weasley. Not really. I just don't need a fucking tutor! I'm not that thick."

"You're not thick. You and Hayden never pay any attention that's all. And you must have good grades in something."

"Defense against the Dark Arts. I have an O in it. I want to be an auror." He said casually as if he discussed his career plans with Hayden before breakfast every day.

"Well, to be an auror, you have to be good at potions. So think of this as getting you closer to that." I said helpfully. Malfoy laughed for real this time.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"You! The way you make everything so… academic!" He laughed again. "It hurts my brain listening to you sometimes Weasley!"

"Now you really sound thick." I replied. We were almost to the Gryffindor common room and I hadn't even realized it. "Not everything I say is academic!"

"Sure Weasley, whatever you say. Anyway, I'll see you later." He handed the books back over to me.

"Later?" I asked.

"You said you were going to the library tonight. I'm supposed to tag along, correct?" He said mockingly of my "academic tone".

"So you'll come?" I only said I was going for Professor McGregor's sake.

"Why shouldn't I? Don't want to end up at a boring desk job at the ministry someday. Might as well start getting serious now." I almost laughed. The thought of Malfoy acting serious was something I wasn't used to.

"See you later then." I said facing the Portrait hole.

"Later, Rose." Malfoy patted me on the arm and then turned down the corridor.

I was sitting with James, Roxanne, Lily and Fred when I realized Malfoy had actually called me Rose.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7:

"Come on, Malfoy! Don't you ever pay attention?" I asked Scorpius impatiently. We had only been in the library for the past fifteen minutes and he had managed to get me thoroughly annoyed yet again. I had been trying to get and keep his attention so I could explain to him the properties of more complex potion ingredients, but he was very reluctant to listen.

"You must not know me very well, Weasley. I almost never pay attention when something's not worth my time." He drawled out in a very arrogant voice. I had a strong urge to knock my Potions textbook against his head.

"So I'm not worth your time?"

Malfoy shifted in his seat. "I didn't say you weren't worth my time. I meant school work." He poked me in the arm when he said 'you' and I recoiled playfully. It had been like this for a while now; Scorpius and I had a love-hate relationship going on and I suppose you could even call us friends. I had even gotten used to calling him by his first name in my head! But I almost never addressed him by it out loud.

"Can't we take a break?" He whined. "I've been taking notes, see?" He pushed his parchment in front of me. Though the notes were not very detailed and he had doodles pictures of racing brooms on the margins of his paper, they were good enough for now.

"We'll take one fifteen minute break, but that's it." I sternly answered, shoving the notes back to him. He dramatically slumped back in his seat and clutched his hand.

"Oh, my aching hand!" I rolled my eyes and smiled at him.

"Please, Malfoy. What is it with you and your hand? Write much?"

"Only for you, Weasley!" He replied with an overly large smile. I threw my eraser at him but he deflected it with a flick of his "tortured" hand.

"Excuse me while I become sick!" I laughed. Scorpius chuckled and leaned forward in his seat.

"So, any reason you were ignoring Finley Thomas at dinner tonight?" He asked. A confused look crossed my face. I hadn't been ignoring Finley. He hadn't even been talking to me! Had he?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Weasley. He must have tried to talk to you at least five times. The poor bloke isn't used to being rejected!" Scorpius smirked.

"He must have been talking to someone else then, because I didn't hear him." I retaliated. Had I been ignoring Finley? I guess I was so eager to get down to the library early I hadn't really been paying attention to anything around me.

"Whatever you say." Scorpius propped his feet up on the table. Suddenly, there was a loud screech from behind one of the book cases. My quill flew out of my hand as I jumped in my seat and Madam Pince appeared from the depths of the library.

I had heard stories from my family time and time again about Madam Pince and I had never really experienced much trouble with her. She was a cranky old lady who was practically ancient by now but she had never given me reason to believe their stories. However, by the look on her face this time, those stories seemed easier to picture in my head.

"Young man, remove your feet from that table immediately!" She growled at Scorpius who had remained unfazed during the whole situation. He smirked at me as I fumbled for my quill under the table. Still, he swung his feet down back onto the floor. Madam Pince gave him a steely glare and she slowly backed away. I was about to grab my quill when Scorpius's hand came down and took it for me.

"Thanks." I said, coming back up and holding my hand out for my quill. He was twirling it around in his fingers.

"What's it worth to you?" He asked with a suggestive wiggling of his eyebrows.

I raised my own eyebrows. "Almost nothing. I have two more in my bag."

He laughed and handed me my quill. What was all that about?

"It's been fifteen minutes." I said quietly. Scorpius sighed and started copying random notes from his textbook again. The quiet scratching of quills on parchment and the smell of books cleared my head. Scorpius was the one to fill it once more.

"So you basically told Professor McGregor you have no social life today."

I gave him a look. "I said nothing of the sort!"

Scorpius snorted. "Weasley; you have two hours of 'free time' including homework. Then you sleep. Then you go to school."

"That's during the week! I have weekends too you know."

"What did you do last weekend?" Scorpius asked. I suppose I looked surprised. He was there wasn't he? He ought to know.

"I was with you. Remember? The sound of water coming in contact with red hair might jog your memory a bit." I smirked at him. Oh Jesus, I was catching his Slytherin habits.

Scorpius looked guilty and amused at the same time. "You got me there, Weasley! But if you don't recall, you spent the rest of that weekend studying."

"That's not every weekend…" I mumbled. I didn't want Scorpius to be right.

"What you need is a bit of fun." He said grandly. "What are you doing on Hogsmeade weekend?"

I was taken aback. I couldn't tell him I had planned to spend the day reading a book. I would never hear the end of it, after all.

"I'm um… I'm going with Dom." I devised. That sounded convincing.

"Isn't Colin coming with her? They're an item now, correct?"

"I suppose." I answered stiffly.

"And so you don't mind going off the school grounds with a couple who will most likely make you feel like a third wheel?" He asked.

"I find Colin fascinating. He has… very endearing qualities." I said simply. Of course it was a complete lie. Colin was a male pig who liked alcohol, girls and to come up with perverted jokes and then share them with Albus.

"Somehow, I don't believe you Weasley." Scorpius said in a satisfied tone.

"Well, you should because I'm telling the truth!" I said harshly. Maybe it was a bit harsher than necessary but I was tired of always being called a book worm.

"So if I asked you right now if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me you would say no because you already have set plans right?"

"Well you're not asking me right now. And if you were, I would already have plans yes."

"Rose, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" He asked in a joking tone. My heart almost stopped. Partially because he called me Rose again, which was a rare occurrence. Partially because he had just asked me on what sounded like a "date."

"Well, um…" I trailed off. I was in a slight state of shock.

"But you already have plans don't you?" He asked. He started to smile widely. It wasn't his stupid smirk again either, it was his real genuine smile that I was really starting to grow fond of.

"I suppose I can cancel with Dom. She and Colin probably want their alone time anyway." I said quickly. Was I accepting an invitation to willingly spend a day with Scorpius Malfoy outside of school?

The clock chimed nine. It had already been an hour since Scorpius and I had started "studying" and we had gotten farther in our social lives than in our potions textbooks.

"So it's set then?" He asked as he threw things haphazardly into his bag.

"Meet me by the portrait hole at eleven?" I asked. I felt like I was breaking some sort of rule that had been laid down for centuries.

"I'll be there. See you tomorrow, Weasley." He called over his shoulder as he started to leave. Scorpius used to wait for me, but I take so long packing my things up I think he prefers to get going now.

"Will do, Scorpius." I said. The name was out of my mouth before I could even think about it. He stopped in his tracks for a second, but then continued on.

As I made my way back to the common room, I was thinking about one thing only: I was going to Hogsmeade with Scorpius Malfoy.

I was concentrating so hard that I nearly ran into someone on the way through the portrait hole. Stumbling slightly I came face to face with Finley Thomas. My face burned as I thought of what Scorpius had said. Had I really been ignoring Finley at dinner?

"Er, Hi." I said.

"Hey." He replied, smiling. "I haven't seen you all night."

"Oh, I was in the library studying." With Scorpius…

"I uh… I meant to ask you something at dinner but I guess you were busy because you didn't hear me." He looked embarrassed. I instantly felt awful.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking. I had a lot of homework tonight." I blurted out.

"Yeah, um… well I was just wondering if you had any plans for Hogsmeade weekend."

Jesus Christ. How was I supposed to tell Finley I was going with Scorpius? Even in my head it sounded stupid.

"I'm sorry Finley. I've already made plans with a friend. You probably don't know him." I said awkwardly.

"Him?" Finley's face fell but only for a moment. "Oh. Alright. Who is it?"

"Just a random Slytherin, you wouldn't know him trust me." I said. "I'm really sorry again. We'll catch up another time then alright?"

He smiled. "Yeah, okay. See you later then." He ambled off in the other direction.

Just a random Slytherin. Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

**A/N: So so so so so sorry for the lack of updates! I have been busy at school and after school since I'm the lead in the musical and rehearsal time and homework are demanding all of my time! Also I had a little bit of writer's block for this chapter even though I knew what it was going to be about. That's why it's rather short and I didn't edit it so if there are any mistakes I'm sincerely sorry. :) Next chapter is Hogsmeade! **

**~ yours in eternity :***


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8:

Hogsmeade weekend came faster than expected. One minute I was in Transfiguration class talking to Dominique about Charms homework and listening as she babbled on about makeup and Colin. Before I knew it, I was standing outside the portrait hole, adjusting my jacket and trying not to look like I was waiting for someone.

It's not like I was embarrassed to be going with Scorpius or anything, I was just… nervous. I hadn't told my family I was going with him. Though they had questioned who this "random Slytherin" was, I hadn't given in. I knew they wouldn't approve of Scorpius simply because he was a Malfoy and we weren't supposed to get along.

Scorpius was running late. It was already five minutes past eleven and most everyone had already left for Hogsmeade, nestled in jackets or light sweaters. October had come, and it brought a late autumn chill with it. The temperature must have been ten degrees cooler than it had been before. That meant there was no more studying outside, something that Scorpius thoroughly detested.

As for the tutoring, Scorpius and I had been meeting every Monday night for the last few weeks going over Potions homework and talking more about what we wanted to do when we graduated Hogwarts. Scorpius wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to be an auror. He had his heart and his mind set on it. He planned to buy a flat in London in order to be close to the magical world and then finish Auror training school. We mostly talked about his goals, because mine were "boring." I wanted to work at the Ministry like my Mum, and do something to help the lesser creatures of the magical world gain their rights. My Dad was an auror and that was interesting for a moment before I realized that I knew next to nothing about his work and my future was sounding very dull next to Scorpius's.

I pulled my jacket tighter around myself. The corridors were unusually drafty today and I hoped it wouldn't be too cold outside. That would mean that everyone would be inside and I hate crowds—

"Looking for me, Weasley?"

I jumped a little. Scorpius had a way of sneaking up on me even when he was right in front of me.

"You're late." I said in a mock angry tone. He shrugged with a sheepish grin.

"At least I came right?" I rolled my eyes at him and we began to make our way down the corridor.

Ten minutes later we were outside the school grounds having received a few strange looks from groups of students who weren't used to seeing a Weasley and a Malfoy associating. Scorpius ignored them but I couldn't help worrying that the news might come back around to my family.

"So, Weasley, I was thinking." Scorpius started to say as we crossed the cold, hard ground to the village.

"That can't be good." I giggled. He gave me a look but kept going.

"I've been thinking that we've been friends for a little while now but we hardly even know anything about each other."

I stopped in my tracks. He tossed the word _friends _around like it was a casual thing to say. I suppose it was and I was merely overthinking it.

"I like to think I know plenty about you; more than enough if you ask me."

"Alright, then" He said. "Name everything you know about me right now."

I racked my brains for a moment. "Your name is Scorpius Malfoy. You're a Slytherin who smirks far too much. You play with your hair a lot and you don't know you're doing it. You want to be an auror; you're really good at Defense against the Dark Arts and…" I trailed off. To be honest, that's all I could think of at the moment.

Scorpius smiled. He had that look in his eyes that he had whenever he knew he was right. "Okay, not bad. But can you tell me this? What's my favorite color? Who is my idol? How old was I when I broke my arm for the first time?"

"Okay," I said, conceding defeat. "Maybe we don't know much about each other." We reached the village which was crawling with Hogwarts students. I scanned the street for anyone from my family and when I found no one, I started to walk down the pavement. Scorpius followed me.

"Want to play a game of twenty questions?" I suggested, peering through the window of a bookshop. They had a special price on their new quills.

"What's that?" He asked. I thought he was joking but his face clearly showed he didn't know what I was talking about.

"It's a muggle game. My Mum taught it to me when I was ten. You have a partner and you think of something. Then they have twenty questions to try and guess what you're thinking of."

He looked at me stupidly.

"In this case, we'll be asking twenty questions about each other." I finished.

"What's the point of the game?" He asked. He looked far less than interested.

"We'll get to know each other better. I thought that's what you wanted?" I pushed open the door of the book shop and headed inside. Scorpius came in after me.

"Alright then Weasley, you can start."

I smiled to myself.

"Okay. What's your favorite food?" I asked as I ran my fingers over the quills. They were nice, but the sale was still more than I could afford.

"Chocolate." He shot back immediately. I almost laughed while picturing Scorpius stuffing his face with chocolate.

We exited the book shop and started down the streets again. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body as a cold gust of wind blew our way. Scorpius looked anything but uncomfortable bundled up in a Slytherin scarf and a warm looking black jacket.

"Okay, your turn." I said. I thought I saw Hugo's trademark red hair down the street, but it turned out to be another passing ginger. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, let me think." He answered. We turned a corner and Scorpius gestured to a small Quidditch Supply Shop. I rolled my eyes but nodded and we went inside. Looking at equipment bored me to no end, but it was getting colder as the wind blew harder and the shop looked warm.

"What was your first pet?" He asked as he examined some beater's bats in the corner. I was mildly surprised by the question, though I couldn't fathom why.

"My mum had a cat up until I was nine. It was a ginger cat named Crookshanks. He was rather old and grumpy, but he was sweet. I miss him sometimes." I smiled as I reminisced on the old cat. It was a sad day in the Weasley household when he died. Mum cried for two hours straight and even Dad, who hated the cat, gave a nice speech for him.

"I never thought of you as a cat person." Scorpius said, turning towards me with a smirk on his face.

"Well you never struck me as the chocolate type." I shot back, giving him a smile.

He laughed slightly and then brought some gloves up to the counter. He paid with two sickles and then we were on the streets again.

"Okay," I said, thinking of what I could ask him. Dominique and I used to play this game when we were little, but the questions had never gone like this. "If you could go anywhere, where would you go?"

"That's easy. I would go to my grandparent's house." He replied. His face lit up slightly as if the mere thought of being there spread a little happiness on his outlook. "They built me a giant Quidditch Pitch and they live right near a lake. It's fantastic there."

I tried to picture the place Scorpius was talking about. For some reason, I couldn't get the picture of a mansion out of my head. Scorpius's family seemed too rich to live in anything less. I thought of my grandparent's house which was small, shabby, and constantly filled with shouts and laughter.

"Want to go into Honeydukes?" He asked. I glanced at the little shop across the street. It was bustling with teenagers all over the place. I figured the crowd was so large in there; it would be difficult to find my family even if we tried.

"Sure." I replied. "And it's your question."

Honeydukes was extremely crowded. As Scorpius and I squeezed in, about fifteen other people squeezed out. Still, there was barely any room to breathe in the sweet shop. The poor owners of the shop looked frazzled as they tried to attend to about twenty people at the counter at once. Scorpius let out a low whistle.

"Never seen it this packed before." He remarked. We pushed through the crowd and went into the farthest room from the door. There were shelves laden with candy in this room and mercifully, it wasn't nearly as crowded as the main entrance.

"What's your favorite candy?" He asked. I was suspicious as he started to walk down the shelves, fingering the jars full of sweets.

"Is that your question?" I asked. Scorpius looked confused for a moment. Still, he shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

"…Pumpkin pasties, then." I said. He smirked and dug his hand into a jar of the said treats. I watched in mild shock as he shoved a handful of pumpkin pasties towards me.

"Well, eat them quickly before someone sees you."

"Excuse me?" I asked rather loudly. I must have been hearing wrong. Scorpius didn't just tell me to eat sweets without paying for them did he?

He clapped a hand over my mouth.

"Do you _want_ someone to see you?" He asked. "You heard me." He gave me a smirk and a slight wink. I matched up my years of knowledge that you should always pay for something against his sudden plan.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Rose, I can't understand you when you're mumbling." He removed his hand.

"I said I can't eat these fast enough with your hand over my mouth!" I replied with a slight grin. His face broke into a wide smile and he watched happily as I stuffed the pumpkin pasties into my mouth.

He snuck another handful of pumpkin pasties and some fizzing whizbees before we were out the door trying not to look too guilty. Once we were outside we found a deserted street corner covered in frost and ate the sweets.

"Merlin, I can't believe I actually stole from Honeydukes!" I exclaimed. Never in my life would I have thought I would have to say that.

"Oh come on, Rose!" Scorpius said, tossing a candy in the air and expertly catching it in his mouth. I applauded politely for him. "It's just food. It doesn't cost much anyway, and they make so much of the damn stuff they won't miss a few pieces."

"A few?" I asked mockingly, pushing him lightly. "We practically cleaned out their inventory for them!"

"Then we've done them a favor!" I rolled my eyes. Only Scorpius could understand his logic.

A bell chimed in the distance. It was twelve-thirty. Had it really been that long already?

"You hungry Weasley?" He asked.

"To be honest, I'm really full from all the sweets."

"So you don't want to grab a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?" He asked with a smile. I thought about it. Butterbeers sounded great and it was only getting colder but my family was bound to be in there and I really couldn't risk being caught.

"No, I actually think we should be heading back to the castle. It's getting later than I thought it was." Scorpius shrugged and began trudging back up to the castle. I fell into step beside him and we walked in a comfortable silence for a while until my stomach growled.

"Really full from all the sweets, eh?" Scorpius laughed, gesturing to my stomach. My cheeks flushed.

"Er…"

"There's a different reason you didn't want to go to the Three Broomsticks isn't there Rose?"

My heart dropped into my now audible stomach. That sounded horrible, like I was ashamed to be seen with him.

I stopped walking and Scorpius faced me.

"If you don't want to hang out with me today Rose…" He began. I could tell he was keeping up that air of importance he had as if he could care less. Still, in his eyes I could see a bit of disappointment.

"No, it's not that at all!" I insisted. "It's just… I haven't exactly told my family about us yet."  
>Scorpius raised an eyebrow but I could see him getting a bit more relieved.<p>

"Us?" He asked.

"I mean, I haven't told them that we're friends and associate and occasionally spend time together…" I trailed off. He was laughing.

"Are you angry?" I asked.

"Nah. I get it. I haven't really told any of my friends either. I suppose it would be harder to be friends if I had some siblings on my side too." I nodded awkwardly. I was glad he understood, but I still felt bad.

"I'll tell them if you'd like. They'd get over it eventually. They might even grow to like you!" I offered.

Scorpius smirked. "Rose, I think they'd kick my arse first." We laughed and kept walking. The wind blew harder and I shivered in my thin jacket. I should've anticipated colder weather today.

"You cold?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine—

Scorpius was already removing his scarf and placing it around my shoulders. It smelled like cologne and was warm and thick. I pulled it around myself.

"Thanks." I said, my cheeks flooding with pink again. I don't know why I was so embarrassed, it was just a scarf.

We made it back to the castle before the rush of other students which meant there weren't many people watching us as Scorpius walked me back to Gryffindor tower. We stood outside the portrait hole and I handed his scarf back to him.

"You can keep it if you'd like. I have others and it'll probably be drafty tonight as well."

"Thanks, but I think my family might hex me if they saw me wearing Slytherin colors." I smiled and he took the scarf.

There was a pause.

"Well, thanks for today. I had fun." I said. Scorpius smiled.

"Me too. We'll have to finish that question game at our next tutoring session." He replied. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

We moved closer to each other and the next thing I knew, his arms were around my waist and we were hugging. I had never really properly hugged anyone besides my family and Robin, so I was in shock for a moment. Still, I wound my arms around his neck and hugged him back. He smelled like something I couldn't quite describe, but seemed slightly familiar and was quite pleasant. His hands were warm on my back and felt safe there.

As quickly as it had happened, it was over and we were two separate people facing each other in a corridor.

"I'll see you Monday, Rose." He said as he began to leave.

I nodded. "Monday." Once Scorpius was gone, I gave the password and entered through the portrait hole. The common room was mostly empty, save a couple younger students. I decided to wait for my family who wouldn't be far behind.

Within ten minutes, my many cousins and siblings were entering the room, flopping down on couches and removing jackets, scarves and boots.

Dominique and I retired to the common room after a while of relaxing and I planned on finishing my day with a book and a nap before dinner. I was exhausted.

"I'm taking a shower." Dominique announced as I thumbed through the pages of my latest romance novel. "And no offense Rosie, but I think you should take one too. You smell like cologne."

Whoops.

**A/N: Yeah… sorry for not updating in like FOREVER. I had the worst case of writers block in my life! I figured it was better to wait and produce a good chapter than force a bad one out so I really hope you guys will continue to read and review! I appreciate the reviews soo much and love hearing from you **

**~yours in eternity**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9:**

The Monday following the Hogsmeade trip, Dominique was still talking about her date with Colin.

"Rosie, you wouldn't believe it! In Madam Pudifoot's, they don't even care if you snog the whole time you're there!" She squealed for what was probably the fifteenth time. I resisted rolling my eyes.

"Dom, I know. I used to go there with Robin." I mumbled.

"Oh, right… sorry." Dominique said, looking guilty. Whenever Robin was brought up, accidentally or not, Dom would get this look on her face as if she was sorry for me. It was becoming quite annoying.

"You know that I'm completely over him, right?" I asked seriously.

"Of course!" She said in a not very convincing tone. I huffed and gave up. We were on our way to Charms and I really didn't want to be annoyed with her when the lesson started.

Once in Charms, we were split into pairs to work on silencing charms. Dominique and I were partners, something I was not altogether pleased with. Not that I didn't love Dom with all of my heart, but she was being really annoying that morning.

As we were practicing silencing charms on birds, Dominique thought it would be an opportune time to start talking about Colin again.

"He got me flowers you know; pink roses! They're my absolute favorite!" She squealed. She waved her wand in such excitement that her bird almost took flight.

"Dominique, I'm sorry, but I know!" I half shouted. She looked confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, I really am." I said, feeling a little bad now. "But you've told me about your date with Colin at least a thousand times. It's just getting a bit… repetitive."

Dominique looked angry for a second, but then relaxed.

"You're right, Rose. I'm done talking about it." I silently cheered in my head.

"We should be talking about your date instead!" She exclaimed. I froze.

"Um… it really wasn't a date…" I trailed off.

"Okay, Rose whatever you want to call it. What was he like? More importantly, who is he?"

I couldn't tell Dominique that I had gone with Scorpius. Even if I swore her to secrecy, she wouldn't be able to resist telling James who would then make Scorpius's life miserable.

"You really don't know him that well, trust me." I said, trying to sound offhand and uninterested.

"Well, maybe I could get to know him if you would just tell me who he is!" She whined. I sighed and turned towards her.

"It's no one special, Dom. Believe me." I said seriously. I felt a little guilty talking about Scorpius that way, but he wasn't here and this was me trying to save his sorry arse from the wrath of James Potter.

"I'll have to find out eventually." She mumbled, turning towards her bird. An uncomfortable silence seemed to stretch across the room. Partly because Dominique wasn't speaking to me now, and partly because everyone else seemed to have mastered the silencing charm while we were talking.

Professor Flitwick bounced over, surprisingly agile and energetic for someone so ancient.

"Miss Weasley; I might want to make it clear to you that you're the only ones in the class who have not yet silenced your birds!" He said in a slightly disapproving tone.

"Sorry Professor Flitwick." I said quickly. I turned towards my bird and with a quick wave of the wand, its squawks were silent. Professor Flitwick looked pleased and then bounced over to Dom. I packed my things silently and dreaded going to Potions today. If Dominique still wasn't talking to me, our potion that we would be making today would be doomed.

"I still say I should've gotten an E on that potion." Scorpius exclaimed, hands in his pockets as he gave the ground a disapproving glare. I almost laughed at him, scowling at the earth as if it had done him a personal wrong.

"You should be proud with the A you have!" I tried to cheer him up. Potions had gone rather well today, considering Dominique had gotten over our little spat and brewed the potion to perfection. Even better, Scorpius (without much help from Hayden) had managed to brew an acceptable potion. Professor McGregor was more than pleased and happy to give Scorpius and Hayden the first A in six years. It wasn't an O, but it was definitely getting somewhere.

After class, Professor McGregor asked Scorpius and I to continue with the tutoring, as it was tremendously improving Scorpius's grade in the class. I pretended to look slightly annoyed, but on the inside I was beaming. I was proud of Scorpius to be honest, and I was even looking forward to further studying sessions in the library every Monday. They had become something of a routine for me.

Now, while the sun was starting to set Scorpius and I were walking around the Quidditch pitch. Scorpius had asked me to meet him there and quiz him on the upcoming Potions exam while he simultaneously practiced. I agreed rather reluctantly, not sure if he would really be concentrating if he was in the air on a broomstick, twenty feet above me. However, Scorpius surprised me. He had been doing that a lot lately. He managed to answer most of the questions correctly, all while deflecting enchanted tennis balls with his beater's bat.

On solid ground once again, Scorpius had come down from his moment of success and was starting to feel like his A wasn't good enough.

"I just feel like we've been studying for weeks and I haven't even gotten an E yet." He said rather dejectedly. I had never seen this side of him, so intent on good grades. He was starting to sound like me.

"E's and O's don't just happen overnight." I commented.

"They do for you." He mumbled. I blushed, sometimes hating the fact that I was so engrossed in my studies. It often made people believe I was some freaky genius who barely had to work for my grades.

"Well, like you said I don't do much else than study. It's pretty boring actually." I blew a piece of hair out of my face and tucked it back under my beanie. For whatever reason, this October was becoming colder by the week. At this rate, it would be snowing the first day of November. Scorpius and I were both bundled in respective coats, boots, scarves and hats. I had forgotten gloves of course, my fingers turning numb in my pockets.

"I wish I was more like you sometimes." He said. I was shocked. Scorpius Malfoy, the boy who didn't seem to give a damn about anything wanted to be more like me?

"I wish I was more like you!" I said. He turned to me, surprised.

"Why would you ever wish that?" He smirked. We had stopped walking along the outside of the pitch as it was getting darker. There was no one in the stands.

"I'm tired of being a bookworm. I barely ever do anything else. I wish I was better at Wizard's Chess, or Exploding Snap, or Quidditch—

I was cut off by Scorpius grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the center of the field. His gloved hand spread some warmth to my frozen fingertips.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he stopped to pick up his broom, brushing some dirt off the handle. He had an excellent broom with a long, glossy black handle and perfectly trimmed twigs at the end. I could imagine him sitting in an armchair in his common room, polishing and clipping his broom every night. The thought brought James to my mind and I smiled.

"I'm going to show you how to play Quidditch." He said simply, grabbing his beater's bat. He shoved the broom into my hand and I took it with fumbling fingers.

"W-what?"

"You heard me. Come on, mount the broom." He gestured to his broom in my hand as he picked up a tennis ball, tossing and catching it in his one hand.

"I can't play for the life of me, Scorpius!" I whined. I sounded like a child, but Quidditch both fascinated and scared me.

"That's why I'm going to teach you." He said slowly, as if I really was a small child.

"James and Albus have already tried. You can ask them."

"I'll pass. You haven't learned from me. Now mount the broom, Rose." It felt like more of a command when he said my name, and as if my body was moving without a brain, I found myself swinging my legs over the broom and gripping the handle uncertainly. I felt stupid.

"Alright, first of all, your grip is completely off." Scorpius moved behind me, moving my arms in the "correct" position and showing me how I could hold the broom without feeling like I was going to fall off. Scorpius was really in his element, and while I knew he wanted to be an auror after school ended, this was his passion at the moment. I had never paid full attention to him during a game before, but I knew I would be now.

"Okay, now kick off slowly and you're going to hover for a bit." He sounded like Madam Hooch. I almost laughed at this, but then realized I didn't really know what to do. I stared stupidly at the broom, willing it to rise in the air. My telepathic messages were obviously not working.

"Just give a swift kick off the ground. Like you're playing football." He offered. I was even worse at football than I was at Quidditch. I weakly pawed the ground with my foot. The broom didn't so much as flinch.

"Come on, Rose. You're not trying… pretend you're kicking Robin in the face!" He suggested.

That got some motivation in me. I kicked the ground with more force than I thought and suddenly, I was airborne. Not very far off the ground, but it was high enough to startle me. I was maybe a few inches above Scorpius's head. He was laughing and smiling, but in a good way. Like he was proud of me.

"Good, okay try flying forward. Don't go too fast, just lean and don't think about it. The broom knows what you want to do." I highly doubted a piece of wood could read my thoughts, but I leaned slightly and the broom glided a few inches forward. Scorpius kept up with me on the ground.

"Rose, you're doing great!" I looked down at him to see a smile on his face. I smiled back, it was almost infectious.

"Wanna practice being a Chaser?" He asked. I strained to remember which one was the chaser. The one who guarded the hoops? No, that was the keeper. I knew it wasn't the one that used the bats.

"It's the one who handles the balls and throws it through the hoops." Scorpius supplied from below. It's like he could read my thoughts as well as the broom could.

"I knew that, Malfoy." I said; trying to sound normal but my voice came out higher than usual. I was still pretty nervous.

"Yeah, you sound very sure of yourself." He rattled from below. I rolled my eyes but smiled. "I'm going to toss you a ball and you just try to catch it, okay?"

I wasn't sure this would be a good idea. I could barely fly with two hands on the broom, but one? Still Scorpius didn't give me much time to think about it. He tossed the ball in my direction. I gingerly took my hand off the broom and made a weak grab for the ball, but I was too late. It landed and rolled away. Scorpius went after it as my cheeks flooded with red.

"I told you I'm no good at this." I muttered.

"Bullshit, you're just psyching yourself out. You need to relax and trust yourself and the broom." He sounded so sure of himself and I wondered how Scorpius had felt flying his broom for the first time. Probably not much different from me. I somehow couldn't imagine a younger Scorpius sitting on a broom and almost paralyzed from fear.

I let out a breath of air I didn't know I was holding, and said "Okay."

Scorpius tossed the ball again, and this time, my hand worked with my brain and I caught the ball. I was in shock. Scorpius whooped from the ground and clapped. It was a bit dramatic, but this was pretty big for me. A wide beam spread across my face.

"Can I come down now?" I asked. I wanted to end the night with success. Scorpius laughed and nodded. I wasn't really sure how to get down however.

"Tilt down and slowly move forward, but don't crash-dive into the ground." He said unhelpfully. I nervously made my way to the ground, but I managed to make it without falling off. I never appreciated the grass so much as when I was firmly back on it. Scorpius's broom fell to the ground with a mighty sort of drop.

He rushed over and put an arm around my shoulders, squeezing me to his side. We had never been this close before without hugging, but I welcomed the warmth his body supplied and the good feeling inside my chest that wasn't coming from his heat.

"Merlin, you're cold woman!" He exclaimed again, pulling me closer. I didn't know what I was expecting to happen next. My face was pressed into his shoulder, his arms wrapped around my waist. My fingers were inches from his hair, and for some reason I wanted to touch it, but I thought that might be strange. He was so warm. He started to pull back, and I thought I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before. A sort of intense look, not unlike the one he had given me the first time we had met on the train before our first years. Although, that look was cruel, and this one was— different.

My breath seemed shallow inside of me, like I just couldn't get enough. My heart was pounding; surely Scorpius could feel it through the thick wool of my red and gold scarf.

His gaze flickered down to my mouth very briefly, and I thought he might be leaning in. I was paralyzed, not with fear, but with the thought that I would be defying my family if I allowed this to happen. I realized I didn't care—

"Scorpius, What the fuck?" Hayden's voice rang out from across the pitch. Scorpius and I separated as if we had been stupefied. I tucked my hair behind my ears and turned away; hoping Hayden hadn't yet seen my face well enough. I could do without a good taunting tonight.

"Nice job on the potion tonight, my man." Hayden said, it sounded like he had clapped Scorpius on the shoulder. "We did pretty well, eh?" Hate swelled in my chest. Hayden hadn't done anything while Scorpius did all the work in class.

"Thanks mate." Scorpius said, though he sounded as annoyed as I felt. Was he annoyed because of the potion, or the fact that Hayden had just interrupted what might have been our very first… kiss? Merlin! I had almost kissed Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy had almost kissed me. Voluntarily.

"Who's the bird" Hayden asked. I could almost feel his gaze burning a hole through my jacket. Luckily, he couldn't see my trademark red hair underneath my beanie as I had brushed it to the front.

"No one, a friend." Scorpius answered shortly.

"Looked like more than a friend to me." Hayden muttered sneakily. I pretended to be very interested in a hole in the sleeve of my jacket, picking at a loose thread.

"Piss off, Hayden." Scorpius said, almost angrily.

"Well fuck you too, mate. Meet me back in the common room, it's late." Hayden said, barely fazed by Scorpius's tone. It sounded like he was leaving now. I felt Scorpius's hand on my shoulder, turning me towards him. Hayden was gone.

"I'm sorry." He gulped. "Hayden's a prick… he doesn't know he's an arse." I nodded, I already knew that. Was Scorpius also sorry he never kissed me? Or sorry because he almost did? There was definitely a double meaning behind it.

"We should probably get going." He said awkwardly. I cleared my throat and agreed. It felt like I hadn't said anything for years. We walked silently back up to the castle, Scorpius taking a moment to put his equipment away while I silently freaked out. There were far too many thoughts and questions buzzing through my brain. I was starting to consider Aunt Luna's idea of Nargles going in through your ear and making your brain fuzzy. That's exactly how I felt now.

Once we were back in front of my common room portrait we stood a fair distance apart, not saying a word. I didn't like the silence and was about to say something when Scorpius opened his mouth to speak.

"Er— I'll see you tomorrow, Rose." He said, patting me on the shoulder. That was it? A pat on the shoulder? Lately we had been parting with a hug, something I had grown to look forward to. Had we lost that already? All because of some stupid almost-kiss? I felt like crying as he walked away, hands in his pockets again. Once he was out of sight, I snapped back to reality. I gave the password and entered the common room.

James, Albus, Roxanne, Fred, and Hugo were all sitting around the fire, laughing and talking. What I wouldn't give to have no problems at all right now and join them. I wished I could tell James about my Quidditch triumph, but I knew he would ask who had been helping me, and I wouldn't be able to answer him.

"Rosie!" Albus said happily upon seeing me. I waved with a half-smile, feeling exhausted.

"You look buggered. Everything okay?" James asked from his position in his armchair. He looked like the father of a large, loving family and in a way he was. He was the oldest and someone we all looked up to. Usually, I could tell James when something was wrong, but knowing I couldn't this time was killing me.

"I'm just cold and tired. I think I need a shower and then to go to bed." I answered, trying to sound more upbeat than I was. Albus looked at me suspiciously. As one of my best friends and favorite cousins, he could always tell when I wasn't being truthful.

"You sure?" He asked, concern evident on his face. I was almost frustrated to tears.

"Yeah, I'm going to go to bed. Night, love you all." I said. And I turned on my heel and walked up to the dormitories. Upon seeing Dominique sitting on her bed, drying her long golden hair with her wand and reading Witch's Weekly, I burst into tears.

She looked up, startled. I was done with hiding everything from everyone, and Dominique and I hadn't felt the same in a long time.

"Rose! What on earth is wrong?" She asked, coming over to me and pulling me into a tight embrace.

"Everything!" I croaked. Dominique smoothed my hair, which was tangled from being under my beanie and ushered me into a hot shower. After I was out, she braided my dripping, red hair and I told her absolutely everything.

My secret was out.

**A/N: Wow, it's been a looooong time since I last updated and I feel really terrible... I forgot how much I loved writing this story and I got really caught up in school work and everything. I promise I will be updating more! If you're still reading this story or just seeing it for the first time, then please review and thank you so much! I love you all! :***

**~yours in eternity**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Dominique was very quiet as she braided my damp hair. The silence in the room was not uncomfortable, but I waited nervously for her reaction. I had told her everything from the first time Scorpius and I had talked to the almost-kiss at the Quidditch pitch only hours before. She was a good listener and didn't interrupt once, nor did she scold me in any way, shape or form for even thinking of associating with a Malfoy.

"Rosie…" She trailed off. She seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked, feeling like I had to force the words out. My throat was raw from sobbing and talking.

"Merlin, no!" She said, sounding surprised. A huge weight seemed to lift off my chest. "I'm just confused… I thought that we hated the Malfoy family."

"Well, I thought we did too. Have you ever actually met one of them?" I asked.

Dominique wanted to retaliate, but she couldn't "Aside from Scorpius, no. Truthfully, I've never spoken to him either." She seemed guilty, but I knew it wasn't really her fault. From day one, my father had drilled it into my head: The Malfoys were not to be trusted under any circumstances. But this year, I had crossed the invisible line and found a whole new world on the other side.

"Our parents haven't exactly made it easy to trust them." I said. Even Uncle Harry, who treated everyone he met with respect and kindness, couldn't bring himself to talk nicely about the Malfoy family. He often got purple in the face and had to excuse himself while my dad turned red and uttered a few choice words.

"Rosie, why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have said anything to James or Albus." Dominique turned me to face her. She had hurt in her eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Dom. I would trust you with anything. I think this was just a strange position to be in." Dominique nodded like she was trying to understand.

"You have no idea how good it feels to have someone know about this." I said, letting out a huge sigh. Dom patted my back.

"I couldn't keep a secret like that if I tried." She smiled sympathetically. "I won't tell anyone. Not unless you want me to. I wouldn't want to be the reason you two would break up—

Wait. Break up?

"Dom, Scorpius and I aren't dating." I said. She got that look on her face that only appeared when she was discussing relationships and boys with me.

"Well, I know… but Rose you're making it pretty obvious that there's something more between you two." I must have had quite a comical look on my face. I couldn't believe Dominique actually thought Scorpius might be interested in me as more than a friend.

"That's not the case. We're just friends." I said quickly, looking down at my bare feet on the carpet. I was wearing my favorite Chudley Cannons pajama pants, a gift from my dad. I didn't even like the team, but they were the softest things I owned. I fingered the familiar material and almost smiled. It was times like these that I felt like I needed my parents the most.

"Friends who kissed?" She supplied.

"We didn't kiss! We almost did, but we didn't!" I insisted.

"Rose, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?" Dominique asked. I realized I didn't really know the answer. The almost-kiss had been tearing me apart all evening. The way Scorpius acted after was killing me too.

"Rosie, did you want him to kiss you? Would you have let him if you actually got the chance."

I buried my face in my knees, inhaling the scent of my home in my pajamas. All the memories I had made with Scorpius were running through my head like a moving portrait. My heart started pounding unnaturally, and my face grew red. Slowly, I nodded.

"Rose?" Dominique placed a hand on my back.

"Yes. I would have let him. Hell, I would've kissed him back!" I mumbled into my knees.

"Oh, Rose…" Dom trailed off again. I pulled my face up. I was not going to cry again. It actually felt good to come face to face with my feelings.

"Do you want to tell the rest of the family?" She asked.

"No!" I almost shouted. "They would think Scorpius was pressuring me or something. He would get in serious trouble!"

"Rose, calm down. We won't tell anyone." She said with a reassuring smile.

I nodded, taking a deep breath. I felt like I hadn't slept for years. Dom and I talked for a little bit more, about stupid things to get my mind off of everything else. Finally, we retired to bed, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sleep.

…

The next week, Scorpius and I were awkwardly polite towards each other. I was just glad we were talking. The first day after the almost-kiss, I was afraid Scorpius would be avoiding me. He smiled at me in the Great Hall at breakfast and asked to borrow my newt eyes in Potions and he carried my books just as he always did. He walked me to my common room, and then patted me on the shoulder again. This was the same case for the rest of the week, and by Friday, I had almost completely gone insane.

Saturday came bright and early. I woke up before anyone else in my dorm, which I was glad of. Dominique had been helping me stay sane all week while juggling schoolwork and Colin. She deserved a break. I quietly brushed my teeth, got dressed and grabbed my schoolbag. Today, I would study.

As I made my way to the common room, I began to think of what Scorpius would say if he knew I was going to the library right now to spend my Saturday reading and taking notes. He would most likely scoff, comment sarcastically on it, and then mess up my hair. But Scorpius hadn't been like himself lately, so it was difficult to picture him doing that right now.

Downstairs in the common room, Albus was asleep on the couch, hair flattened to one side against the pillow. I smiled at my lazy cousin, and tried to quietly creep past. However, Albus had the sharp reflexes of a seeker, and jolted awake.

"Gosh, Rosie!" He said, placing a hand over his heart. "Nearly killed me!"

I giggled. "Al, I didn't do anything." He smiled.

"I know." He sat up, stretched and cracked his joints, which made me wince. I hated it when people did that.

"What are you doing up so early?" He asked. I gestured to my school bag.

"Really, Rosie? Going to study on a Saturday morning?" He asked in disbelief. I shrugged, looking down at my feet.

He could tell I was bothered. "I mean, that's great if you want to— but how about you spend some time with your favorite cousin? We haven't talked in ages!"

I smiled at him. Albus was right, we hadn't spoken for a while because of Scorpius on my end, and a busy schedule on his. I dropped the bag on the couch, knowing no one would dare touch it.

"Alright, let's do something then." I said brightly. Al smiled, and smoothed his hair out with his fingers, then purposely messed it up again. He had been cursed with his father's messy hair since birth.

We exited through the portrait hole, making small talk. Passing the great hall, I noticed there were very few people inside. It was too early for anyone else to be awake.

"Want to go down to the Quidditch pitch?" Albus asked. I gulped, memories of that place slamming into me like a sealed Platform 9¾. However, Albus didn't know about the drama between Scorpius and I, so I agreed halfheartedly.

We made our way outside, the fresh air clearing my head slightly. Hagrid's cabin was covered in a thin layer of frost, the pumpkins looking ripe and huge. The Halloween feast would be coming up soon I noted. We passed the greenhouses and the vegetable patch, and then finally came upon the Quidditch pitch. Albus was telling me a funny story while entering, but faltered when he saw who was inside.

The Slytherin Quidditch team had apparently booked their practice for this morning, and Al and I had stumbled right into it.

The Slytherins hadn't noticed that we were there, probably because there were a few people in the stands already. Not that they would really care anyway. Ever since the war when our parents were only seventeen, the houses had gotten along much more nicely, if not only tolerating eachother. People knew that it was better to form alliances than to make enemies by this point.

Albus huffed next to me with an annoyed look on his face.

"Wanna get out of here, Rose? We don't have to hang around their practice if you don't want to." Al sounded as annoyed as he looked, but I could also tell he was itching to observe the practice and compare their moves against his own. It technically wasn't allowed to watch other team's practices, but no one had ever been stopped in the act before.

"No, it's okay." I answered, seeing the look of longing grow in Al's eyes. I could almost see the Quidditch tactics and maneuvers running through his mind.

Albus led us over to a secluded part of the stands, so we wouldn't be bothered by other Slytherins in the crowd, and we took our seats. It was slightly chilly outside again, and I had been silly enough to wear only a thin jacket and boots. Once again, I had forgotten gloves and stuffed my stiff with cold fingers into my pockets. Al was leaning forward eagerly in his seat, eyes on the team as they flew around the pitch.

"Ooh, looks like Taft has a strained muscle, I'll have to report that back to James…" He muttered. I rolled my eyes with a smirk; So much for spending "quality time" with my favorite cousin. I sat back trying to keep warm and went over notes from Arithmancy in my head.

As the practice went on, I tried to avert my eyes from Scorpius, who was flying around with the other beater. I watched the Chasers, the Keeper, and the Seeker until my head hurt and my eyes were tired. Conceding defeat, I glanced at Scorpius in the air and took a small breath. With the slightly windy and grey morning, Scorpius stood out against his dreary background. His emerald green robes were billowing around him, the wind catching his white-blonde hair in a sort of halo around his head. His sleepy grey-blue eyes looked focused and determined as he tightly clutched his beater's bat in his hand. I had never fully appreciated just how good looking Scorpius really was— nor had I noticed just how tight and form fitting the Quidditch uniforms were. Scorpius's arms were definitely more noticeably defined than usual. Merlin, he was attractive. Was I just realizing this now?

I caught myself in my thoughts, physically shaking my head. I was getting distracted. I had to focus on the Arithmancy test that would be coming up soon. Dominique had worked too hard at keeping my thoughts away from Scorpius and our little episode on the Quidditch pitch. I couldn't let myself fall back into that emotional trap again. Still, watching Scorpius seemed to be the only thing I could do at the moment. He soared around the pitch, whacking at enchanted balls with his bat, giving high fives to his colleagues. He looked truly happy in the air, like he had left all of his problems on the ground to revisit at a later time.

Albus was like a third year in Honeydukes for the first time. A glazed, dreamy expression had taken over his face as he watched the team; every once in a while, he would mutter something that had to do with Quidditch or reporting back to James. I glanced down at my watch and nearly did a double take when I saw the time. It had been an hour and a half, well past the acceptable time to be having breakfast. Now that I was informed of the time, my stomach made itself audible. Albus turned towards me with a funny smirk on his face.

"It's late isn't it? We should go to the Great Hall and eat. James will want to hear about all this anyway." Albus stood up and started to make his way down the stands, which were slowly emptying as the few spectators left for breakfast as well. I stood up slowly, my joints cold and achy. I really had to start dressing better for the weather at hand.

"You coming Rosie?" Albus called from the ground. The Slytherin team were starting to dismount their brooms, fist bumping and comparing tactics. Scorpius was on the ground again, checking his broom and conversing with his fellow beater. My stomach did a funny kind of flip upon seeing him on equal ground again.

I hastily nodded at Albus and started to climb down the steep stairs of the stands. My pace was slow as I wasn't very fond of heights or highly collapsible and more than likely flammable Quidditch stands that were most likely being held together by magic. I tried to hurry so Scorpius wouldn't see me, but it was too late. He was already looking at me when I glanced his way again. He did an awkward gesture with his hand that I took as a wave. I wiggled my fingers at him (a very difficult task at the moment) and he started to make his way over. Al glanced over towards him, his face screwing up in disgust upon seeing him.

Once on the ground, Albus took my shoulder. "Why is Malfoy coming over here?" My voice caught in my throat.

"Um, I've been tutoring him…" I started to say. Albus' eyes widened.

"Tutoring? For how long? You never told us—"

"It's not a big deal, Al. He probably just wants to ask about homework. I'll catch up with you in a minute. Go on to breakfast." I said sternly. Al shrugged at me and exited the pitch. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

"What's up with Potter?" Scorpius asked, coming up behind me. After all this time, he was still very good at sneaking up on me. I jumped slightly. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"Nothing's up, he's just hungry." I lamely said. Scorpius cocked an eyebrow.

"I thought Quidditch wasn't your thing." He remarked.

"Um, it isn't. Al just thought we should go for a walk and we came upon your practice…" I trailed off.

"It's okay, Rose. I was just wondering."

An awkward silence stretched between us. I shivered slightly as a particularly cold gust of wind blew in our direction.

"Are you cold? Do you want me to grab my jacket? It's just in the changing rooms—"

My heart fluttered slightly. "No, it's fine. I was heading up anyway." Scorpius nodded.

"Right, well I'm coming up too. I just have to change." He gestured towards the changing rooms where the rest of his team resided.

It was my turn to awkwardly nod. This conversation was going nowhere fast.

"Do you have any plans today?" He asked suddenly. I looked up at him quickly, my neck protesting in pain from the sudden movement.

"Well, no… I mean I was going to maybe—"

"Study?" He finished. There was a true smirk on his face. I felt like crying and kissing him and slapping him all at once. I hadn't seen that smirk in what felt like ages.

"No!" I snapped with a smile in my voice. "I mean yes, but…"

"Rose, why don't we do something other than study today? We haven't done that in a while." My heart was pounding out of my jacket again. I was going to get to actually spend time with Scorpius today. Maybe I would be able to find out what was really going on between us. Maybe things could really work out for the better… or they could end terribly.

I found myself agreeing. "As long as you quiz me on my Arithmancy notes at least once." Scorpius laughed in slight disbelief, but nodded.

"Do you want to wait for me? I'll only be a moment; I just have to get out of these smelly things." He picked at his green and silver robes.

"Yeah, sure." I tried to contain my smile. I followed Scorpius to the changing rooms which were mercifully empty by now.

"I'll be in the showers; I'll only be a minute changing." He said, strolling through the curtains that sectioned off the rooms. I sat down on one of the benches, admiring the many trophies and brooms that lined the walls of the changing rooms. I knew I would be much more interested in the Quidditch games this year than any other year before.

As time passed, my heart began beating just a little bit faster. I convinced myself it was because of the cold weather that the tent couldn't avoid. However, I knew I was kidding myself. I rubbed my hands together to supply some warmth and told myself Scorpius would only be a few more minutes.

There was a sudden thump coming from the changing rooms, followed by what sounded like Scorpius swearing under his breath; I quirked an eyebrow, curiously standing up and strolling over to the curtain.

"Scorpius…?" I asked. Had he tripped or something?

"Um… would you mind helping me Rose?" He asked in an embarrassed voice. My heart fluttered. "_Oh calm down_!" I scolded it silently. Perhaps all this was a case of cardiac arrest? I could only hope.

"Yeah, um… can I come in?" I asked awkwardly. How much had Scorpius already gotten himself undressed?

"Please do." He mumbled. With that, I stepped through the curtain and almost laughed. Scorpius was sitting on the ground like a child in distress tangled in his padding laces.

"I've never been good at tying things…" He trailed off as I kneeled down to his level and attempted to pick apart the knots in his equipment. He had managed to get off his shin guards and arm pads, but the padding around his torso had yet to come off. He sat there patiently as I worked on the knots, managing to get some of them free. My fingers were still cold, but the activity and Scorpius's proximity seemed to be warming them very quickly.

Finally, I had gotten enough of the laces loose for the padding to slide off him. With a relieved sigh, he tossed the padding into his bag in the corner and without warning, pulled his tight, green shirt up and over his head.

My eyes widened at his exposed chest and I immediately covered them with my hands. Was I violating his privacy? Had he meant to do that? Could he possibly know what kind of effect he had on me?

"Oh, sorry!" He said, realizing what he had done. "Force of habit." He chuckled. Peeking through my fingers, I admired his body. He was busy folding the shirt carefully and didn't notice as I raked my eyes over his toned stomach and his nicely defined arms. He wasn't too buff, but definitely not weak. I could really appreciate the light tan he was sporting, which was a nice contrast against his light hair. Suddenly, he glanced up in my direction and that famous smirk grew on his face.

"Like what you see?" He asked teasingly. I turned red, warmth finally creeping up from my toes to my face. I tried to come back with a clever come back, but I couldn't. I knew Scorpius was expecting one too. I dropped my hands from my face and turned away from him. These feelings were turning out to be a lot harder to control around him than I thought they would be. Heck, they were hard to control when I wasn't even near him!

"I'll just— I'll just go back in there." I said weakly, gesturing to the previous room in the tent.

Scorpius placed a hand on my shoulder and turned me towards him. He looked confused and a little upset. "I didn't mean to offend you Rose… It was just supposed to be funny." He dropped his hand and gave me a halfhearted smile. I returned it, or at least I thought I did.

"Rose what is wrong with you today? You seem upset, or confused or maybe both."

Wow. I was really shit at hiding my emotions wasn't I?

"Nothing's wrong, it's just—"

"Just what?"

I sighed in desperation. Could he really not tell what was going on?

"I— I guess I've been thinking about that one night at the pitch. When you taught me how to fly and actually play Quidditch and then…" I trailed off at the blank expression on his face. He didn't remember.

"Never mind." I mumbled. I turned away again to leave through the flap and gather my feelings.

"I almost kissed you." He stated firmly. I stopped in my tracks. He had remembered. Was this good or bad?

"That night I almost kissed you and if it weren't for that damn Hayden who calls himself my 'best friend'—"

"What about Hayden?" I asked, whipping around and surprising even myself. Scorpius's eyes were darker than usual, reminding me of stormy grey clouds on a wet fall day.

"What if Hayden had never showed up?" I asked again. I was determined for an answer. If I didn't have explanations soon, I was completely positive I would have a nervous breakdown right there.

Scorpius took one step towards me, then another and another until he was only a few inches away. I stood my ground, though my heart was screaming at me to move, to do something.

"If Hayden hadn't ever come into the pitch that night, we wouldn't be skirting around this conversation. You wouldn't look so god damn scared, and I wouldn't feel this nervous." He said. I swallowed, feeling like there wasn't enough air in the tent to supply my lungs with the oxygen they craved.

"We wouldn't be doing any of that right now." He stated again. Then, without warning, without any little hint at all, Scorpius closed the space between us and pressed his lips to mine.

I was shocked to say the least, and for a few seconds that felt like ages, it was just Scorpius's lips moving against mine. But I found myself kissing him back, reaching my hands up to run through his hair.

I felt something soft drop onto my feet and realized he had dropped his shirt that he had been holding to wrap his arms around my waist. This was nothing like simply hugging Scorpius after a good day on the grounds or at Hogsmeade. This was absolutely nothing like kissing Robin. It was better. It was the best feeling I had ever experienced. Better than getting a perfect O on my transfiguration test.

His mouth parted slightly, taking mine with it. I felt him suck lightly on my bottom lip, then his tongue carefully gliding against my own. I felt lightheaded as I responded; doing my best to keep up with him in the state I was in. His thumbs were rubbing circles on my lower back.

Finally, for much needed air, we both pulled apart rather reluctantly. He leaned his forehead against mine as I collected my breath, the taste of peppermint from his breath lingering in my mouth.

"I was hoping we would be doing that instead." He whispered. He leaned in again, but was very tentative as he carefully and lightly kissed me.

"Would that be alright with you?" He mumbled against my lips, making my head swim. It was all I could do to weakly nod and smile against his mouth. We broke apart again, and he pulled me into a hug. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, finally feeling warm in all the right ways. I silently squealed at the fact that I had just snogged Scorpius Malfoy while he still wasn't wearing a shirt.

After a minute, we pulled away. Scorpius needed to finish dressing and then we would have to head up to the Great Hall to eat breakfast. Eating seemed like a waste to me, considering I now had many more interesting activities to pursue, but I knew Scorpius would be hungry after a long practice. He pulled a black sweatshirt over his head, and made me leave while he changed his pants. I giggled stupidly on the other side of the curtain and busied myself with a loose thread on my jacket sleeve.

Scorpius came out finally, his bag completely packed and him fully dressed. He smiled at me and offered his hand. I took it gladly, our fingers lacing together. We exited the tent silently, neither of us needing to talk about what had just happened. We both knew what it meant. As we crossed the chilly grounds, our hands intertwined between us, I thought about my family. They would surely be in the Great Hall by now, eating breakfast and goofing off as usual. The last thing they would expect would be seeing Scorpius and I entering the Great Hall looking very much like a couple.

I almost felt guilty as Scorpius's hand tightened around mine like he knew what I was thinking. When we crossed the entrance hall to the doors of the Great Hall, we both dropped hands.

"You don't want your family to see us together." He said. He wasn't accusing me of anything, but I knew he had come to the same conclusion I had before.

"It might not be the best idea right away. They need to warm up to you first, I think." I said sadly.

"How much warming up do you suppose that'll take?" He asked. His eyes twinkled as he looked at me and a lopsided grin graced his face.

"A little." I lied. He quirked an eyebrow. I sighed. "Okay, maybe a lot. But trust me; I can get them to accept this. And if they can't, then so be it."

He smiled again. "So until then, we're keeping this a secret then?" He asked.

"Yes. If that's okay. I know it's stupid…" He grabbed my hand again, thumb rubbing against the back of my hand.

"It's not stupid. It's going to be hard, but it's the best option." He agreed. Looking around to see that no one was watching, he leaned in and we kissed lightly. It was like shaking hands on our deal, but better.

Scorpius entered the great hall first, then after a small space of time, I followed him so we wouldn't look suspicious. I went over to the Gryffindor table and sat between Hugo and James who were both stuffing their faces with eggs and toast.

"Rosie! We were wondering where you'd gone off to!" James exclaimed, bits of eggs flying out of his mouth.

"That was some homework question." Albus commented. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Oh, I took a walk before I came back." I said casually. I reached for some breakfast trying not to look guilty of anything. Dominique was eyeing me suspiciously and I knew she would be asking me all sorts of questions later in the dorms.

"Well you probably want to brush your hair a bit, it looks messy." Hugo supplied. "No offense." He added as an afterthought.

I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, trying to pass it off that the wind was responsible. Glancing at Scorpius at the Slytherin table across from me, I saw him smirking. I smiled, knowing he would be getting more than a talking to later.

**A/N: I have been stuck on this chapter for soo long! But it's finally out and all the tension building up has been released! I actually felt pretty dirty writing this ;) haha but I'm happy with how it turned out! Please leave a review and if you'd like, take a few guesses at what will happen next! I've got some twists and turns for this story :D**

**~yours in eternity **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

As October faded into November, the weather turned gradually colder. Snow had fallen here and there in light flakes, assuring us there would be more to come. Frost covered the school now, making it very easy to slip and fall on the frozen stones of the courtyard. Scorpius would give me grief every time we recalled my unfortunate fall only weeks prior.

Scorpius and I had so far been successful in keeping our relationship a secret. The only person who knew about it, apart from us, was Dominique. So far she had proved to be an excellent secret keeper and had already saved my arse more than once when it came to keeping the rest of our family in the dark. The only thing bothering her about it all was that she was also keeping the secret from her "precious Colin-bear" whom she had sworn to be completely honest with. Still, she kept up a solid front and made sure that no one knew anything about what Scorpius and I did behind closed doors.

Not that anything we did was much different than before, apart from the obvious and expected change in physical touch. Ever since our first proper snog in the Quidditch tent, several others had followed; all of which were— for lack of a better word— magical.

Scorpius and I still had our share of spats and disagreements, but we never truly got into screaming fits of rage which I was thankful for. The fear that our friendship would be tainted by the relationship was shrinking more every day, and I knew it would soon be gone completely. Scorpius was just as compatible as my boyfriend as he was a friend.

Monday evening found myself and Scorpius sitting in the library as usual, as we had both decided to continue our tutoring sessions. Scorpius's grade in potions had soared dramatically over the course of the last months and he was now at a safe Acceptable in class, something he had never achieved before. Still, it did take some effort to get Scorpius to do some work of his own in return. He was a brilliant thinker, but a lazy worker.

"Scorp," I prodded his side with my wand, which caused him to burrow his head further into his arms on the table. Without my knowing, he had been napping while I had been in search of more textbooks and resources.

"Scorp, wake up." I poked him sharply. He grunted sleepily and raised his head. It was hard to stay cross with him, simply because he looked like a kitten every time he woke up. I removed my wand from his side and took my seat, trying not to smile. He blinked once, twice, then yawned grandly and stretched his arms.

"How are those notes coming along?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh, they're spectacular." He mumbled as he cracked his joints and wiggled his fingers to get some feeling back into them.

"You've been sleeping ever since I left!" I exclaimed in quiet disbelief. Even though we had chosen a new table at the very back of the library for more privacy while studying (among other things), I knew Madam Pince would be lurking in the shelves waiting to pounce if my voice grew loud enough.

"You've got it all wrong, Rosie." I blushed at my nickname coming from his mouth. "I was dreaming up all these great notes and facts in my head while you were gone. I hardly think I'll need to study any more with this knowledge." He sent a sleepy wink my way.

"You're an idiot." I remarked, but smiled anyway. "If it wouldn't trouble you so much, why don't you write those 'great notes' down on parchment? I don't think Professor McGregor is going to grade what's inside that thick skull of yours."

Scorpius pressed a hand to his heart. "Rosie! That one hurt! Right here." He pointed at his heart. "I reckon you'll have to make it up to me."

I kept my eyes fixed on the text in front of me. "I'm not kissing it better."

"It hurts right here too." He gestured to his lips, smirking once more. If anyone could smirk better than Scorpius Malfoy, it was Scorpius Malfoy.

I laughed slightly at his lame attempt at romance, but leaned across my seat and pecked him on the lips lightly. He seemed satisfied, and finally picked up his quill.

We moved onto the next chapter, as I read aloud and Scorpius underlined phrases and starred paragraphs. I only had to scold him for drawing Quidditch plays in the corner of his paper once, which was a new record. All in all, things were going normally for a bit and I had Scorpius reading by himself while I worked on my unfinished Ancient Runes homework that was due next week. The silence was comforting, going hand in hand with the smell of drying ink and old dusty pages I was so fond of. However, the silence was broken by Scorpius clearing his throat rather loudly.

"Rose, I don't understand this section." I huffed silently, as I had been in the middle of translations.

"Read it again."

"I've read it four times now and it still doesn't make sense. I don't even know what some of these words mean."

"Scorp, can it wait five minutes?" I pleaded.

"Sure, if you want to be here for the rest of the night." He persisted. I sighed loudly, knowing he was partially right and scooted my chair closer to his.

"What's not to understand?" I asked, somewhat un-impatiently. It was already 8:45 and I needed to get back to my common room soon.

"This bit here. I don't get what that word means, so naturally I don't know what the whole damn paragraph is about."

"Haven't you looked it up?"

"I have."

"Used context clues?"

"All the basics. It's like reading Mermish."

We continued bickering like this for the next few minutes, making no progress. Madam Pince shushed us harshly before sinking back into the shadows of the bookcases. The clocks ticked by and the candles burned lower. Scorp and I were now not speaking. I had whisper-yelled at him to figure it out on his own and he had reciprocated. I knew the spat was stupid, but I didn't want to admit I was being unreasonable and cranky.

Madam Pince came around the corner once more, this time coming right up to our table.

"You lot have five minutes to wrap things up, then the library's closed." She tapped her fingers sharply against the wood, snarled at us and left with a handful of books in tow.

I began packing my Ancient Runes work into my bag, knowing I would finish it in the common room when Scorpius spoke up.

"Rose?" I remained silent. If there was one thing I got from my dad, it was his stubbornness. "Rosie?"

"What is it?" I finally answered.

"I still don't get it, and I'm sorry…"

I felt terrible. Scorpius was apologizing for my bad temper.

"Don't be. I'm sorry; I'll try to help next time." I turned toward him, taking in the way his eyes changed color by the light of the flickering candles.

"Is something wrong? You've been tense lately." He hesitantly took my hand and I let out a long overdue sigh.

"Come here." He patted his lap. I raised my eyebrow at him, knowing Madam Pince would be coming back soon.

"I know what I'm doing Rose." He said seriously.

"Oh, and what is that? Getting us caught by the staff?" I asked, a smile playing at my lips.

"No, I'm getting my girlfriend to talk to me so I can help her." He pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist. I blushed in the dim lighting, not knowing where to put my hands. I finally decided to rest them in my own lap, not meeting his eyes.

"What's bothering you?" He asked. "Is it me? I mean, us?"

"No— not really. It's just been really hard keeping this from my family and I'm trying not to worry about it but sometimes I just think about it too much."

He looked down. "You're worried about what they'll think of you?"

"No," I tilted his chin up. "I'm worried about what my cousins and my brother would do to _you_. And more importantly, what my dad would do."

"I can handle them." He said.

"I know you can, but I don't want them to scare you off."

"They couldn't scare me away from you if they tried. You're too special." I blushed again. "We're also both too stubborn, so they'd have to deal with quite the challenge."

I laughed, feeling the nerves that I had been riddled with all night going away, if only for the moment.

Scorpius laughed with me, and finally his lips met mine. It was a soft, but meaningful kiss where we both apologized without words. However, it was growing more heated, given the position we were in. I ran my fingers through his hair, his hands moving farther down my back—

"Disgraceful!" A shriek pierced the silence. We broke apart immediately, meeting Madam Pince's disapproving glare. "I want you both out of the library right now! And I'll throw you out if I ever see you two in here together again! Out!"

Scorpius and I tried not to laugh as we gathered our things and practically ran out of the library. Once in a corridor a safe distance away, we burst into fits of laughter. I had never been kicked out of the library before, and it was hard to say that I had regretted it.

Scorpius's giggles subsided first and he pulled me into a tight hug. I was smiling hugely, feeling his heartbeat against mine. Both were abnormally fast, though that was probably due to the fact that we had just sprinted to safety away from the wrath of Madam Pince.

"I'm sorry we got caught." He said, pulling away slowly. "I didn't think she'd come back that fast."

"I'm not sorry. That was the most fun I've had in months." I beamed. He chuckled, running his hand through his hair before slipping it into mine and walking me to the common room.

A relationship with Scorpius was anything but predictable, and maybe that was exactly what I needed. I felt like I had woken up from a long, boring sleep and I was ready to explore life outside of the norm. As Scorpius kissed me goodnight at the portrait hole, I made a vow to myself that I wouldn't worry so much about my family, or the trouble that would follow us. Truthfully, you were only in trouble if you got caught; and maybe we had already been caught, but that didn't mean we were giving up.

**A/N: Eh, kind of a filler chapter. I have a lot of events coming up for the story such as another Hogsmeade trip and a Quidditch game and some more drama with Finley Thomas. I'm maybe going to put a poll up for you guys to pick what you want to see next in the story, but you can always leave suggestions in your reviews :) I want to thank you all so much for all the reviews I've gotten encouraging me to continue! You guys are the best and you are the reason this story is being written! So keep leaving reviews and thanks again for dealing with my slow updates :***

**p.s. did any of you see Les Miserables? Let me know if you did and if you liked it in the reviews, I am totally obsessed with it now! **

**~ yours in eternity ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

Tutoring sessions with Scorpius were growing shorter and less frequent. This was all due to his Quidditch practices, which were now more important than ever as the first Quidditch match of the year was approaching. I often spent time at the pitch with Scorpius, quizzing him while he practiced with enchanted equipment. Now, his grade in potions wasn't the only thing flying steadily higher each day.

On Saturday morning, I woke bright and early to the sound of pecking on the window. Groggily sitting up in bed, I caught a glimpse of our family owl Widget waiting patiently outside. My mum had picked the name, and though Dad didn't quite understand what it meant, the name stuck. Widget had been in the family ever since I was a first year and we needed a bigger owl than Pigwidgeon, who was too small and old to carry packages across the country.

I pulled on my robe and hurried over to the window, eager to let Widget in and out of the cold. As she soared into the dorm, sending feathers everywhere, I noted the gray sky and frosted grounds. At least it hadn't snowed, but I knew as well as James and Albus put together that these were not ideal Quidditch conditions.

Widget perched on the foot of my bed, a letter tied to her leg. She hooted affectionately as I carefully untied the string binding the letter and nipped my hand lightly before taking off out the window, no doubt seeking shelter from the wind in the Owlery before the journey home.

Unfolding the parchment I recognized Al's messy scrawl and immediately became confused. We lived together practically year round, why did he have to send me a letter to communicate? And why use Widget, when she normally only made deliveries between Hugo, myself and our parents? I sat down on my four poster, scanning the letter quickly.

Rosie,

We need to talk. Something's up and I think I know what it is, but I'm not sure. As far as I'm concerned you're the only one who can really tell me. Meet me in the kitchens after the match today.

~Al

p.s. I sent the letter because James and Hugo would want in on this too, and I'm trying to keep things private. Widget was already here for Hugo, so I decided to use her before she left. And don't let Dom see this either. She'll want to know as much as I do I'm sure.

Merlin's pants. How was I supposed to keep a secret from Al without him realizing something was wrong? I should have known he was suspicious from the start. The worst part was he deserved an explanation. Everyone did, the whole school did. But I couldn't give it to them.

I stuffed the letter in my trunk and told myself I would think about it after I'd eaten. Dressing quietly, I grabbed my wand and left the dorm without waking Dom. I didn't need her cheerful babble to keep me distracted while I was trying to think. Plus, her presence would only make me feel guilty that I had already told her and not Albus.

The common room was deserted, apart from Evelyn Brown and Lorcan Scamander who were best friends. Lysander, Lorcan's twin brother was nowhere to be found. The Scamanders were as close as the Potters to us Weasleys, considering our "Aunt Luna" (who wasn't really our aunt) was married to Rolf Scamander. They often joined us for tea and supper during the summer while the adults laughed and reminisced on good memories and the twins were forced into awkward conversation with Hugo and Lily who were the same age as them.

I exited the portrait hole, making my way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Albus's letter was ever present in my mind as I tried to make sense of the situation. I knew I was going to have to tell someone else eventually and Albus was one of the most trustworthy people I knew. He was also one of the people I expected to punish Scorpius's actions the most, coming in at a close second under James. However, I knew I needed to tell him.

Upon entering the great hall, which I had expected to be practically empty save a few early risers, I was faced with of course— the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams. I mentally kicked myself. How could I forget they always ate early on game days?

"Rose!" James shouted rather un-necessarily; the great hall was almost completely silent. "Come sit with the winning team!"

The Slytherin team sent James nasty looks which he promptly ignored. I awkwardly sat between James and Albus, who was picking quietly at his toast. He never ate on game days, saying it "upset his sense of direction". James on the other hand was scarfing down what looked like his third helping of sausage and biscuits.

"You're coming down to the match today, right Rose?" He asked between bites. James reminded me an awful lot of my dad who never stopped eating, yet never gained any weight.

"Yeah, of course." I said, pouring myself some tea. I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. Scorpius was looking at me from across the hall. I tried not to stare back, in case James or Albus got suspicious. Hayden was sitting next to Scorpius, babbling on about something Scorp didn't look very interested in. Hayden was a Chaser on the team, but everyone knew they only kept him on the team because his very rich grandmother paid good money to keep them up to date on the latest equipment and brooms. James and Albus had enough money to keep the Gryffindor team well supplied, but we didn't need money to make a winning team. Everyone on the Gryffindor team had pure talent. Uncle Harry told me something similar had happened his second year of Hogwarts as well, but I had never delved far into the subject.

"I have a good feeling about this match. We've been training really hard, and I think it's going to pay off. Right team?" James boomed across the table. He had a hard time keeping his voice down when he was excited or nervous, or a mixture of both.

The team mumbled their agreement and James looked satisfied. Albus turned towards me.

"Did you get my letter?" He asked quietly. I nodded, pretending to look down at my eggs.

"Then I'll see you after the match." He sent a small smile my way and I smiled back. I shouldn't have been so nervous to tell Albus the truth; he was very understanding and one of my best friends.

"Well team, we'd best be going. The match starts in an hour." James stated. The Gryffindor team quickly finished their breakfast and slowly filed out of the great hall, but not before James could mess up my hair on purpose. I sat at the table alone now, although the castle was slowly filled with the sounds of people waking up. Early risers scattered the house tables as talk became more evident. Everyone was excited about the first match of the season, and tensions were high between the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses. I was absentmindedly picking at a slice of toast, my mind full to the bursting, when someone tapped my shoulder and almost gave me a heart attack.

"Gosh, Rose. I didn't mean to scare you." Scorpius said, looking amused at my reaction. I tried not to choke on my bacon, which would put me in an embarrassing situation.

"I was thinking, sorry." Scorpius sat down next to me at a causal distance that said "just friends". We had kept up this act in front of other students all throughout the relationship in order to keep our secret. But sometimes, it drove me mad. All I wanted to do was take his hand and memorize the feeling of his skin before the game. Before I would have to cheer on my family while also quietly supporting the Slytherin team, if only for Scorpius's sake.

"Your cousin seems to think they have a pretty big chance of winning." He remarked.

"Well, that's James for you." I said, smiling. I'd be thoroughly concerned if James wasn't at least a bit cocky before a game. Albus always said that James concealed his nerves by practically convincing himself they would win before the game even started.

"He's got a challenge waiting for him then." Scorpius said with a smirk. I didn't know much about Quidditch, but I knew it would be a brutal game. The Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry was lesser than it had been in the past, but there was still a rift between the two houses and they loved to best each other.

"Do you want to meet me after the game?" He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts again.

"I'd like to, but I can't. I told Albus I would—" I stopped midsentence. I couldn't tell Scorpius I was planning on telling Albus, could I? To be fair, Scorpius was a major part of the story. However, there was something in my subconscious that told me it was a bad idea to bring the two together right now. Especially after the game, when one of them will have won bragging rights.

Scorpius looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to finish my sentence. I pretended to cough as an excuse.

"I told Albus I would help him with some homework he's been stuck on. And he needs to do it right after the match."

"Oh, okay." Scorpius looked a bit disappointed, but brightened immediately. "I'll just see you after that then, right?"

"Right." I affirmed. I would wait until I had Albus calmed down and rationally thinking before I left him alone to go meet Scorpius. Then I would pray to Merlin that Al wouldn't tell James. Or worse, send a letter to my parents.

"I've gotta go, Rose. The team's leaving." Scorpius snapped me out of my thoughts. He had risen from his seat and I noticed the green clad team members making their way out of the great hall to whoops and cheers from the Slytherin table.

"All right. You'll do great!" I said happily. As much as I loved seeing Gryffindor win, I also couldn't wait to see Scorpius properly flying and playing the game.

"I don't get a kiss for good luck?" He asked cockily.

"If you don't want your arse kicked, I don't think you'll be getting one." I shot back with a smirk.

"That would make flying on a broom more difficult." He chuckled. "I'll see you later." And with that, he left to catch up with the team.

I turned to my breakfast, staying at the table long enough for the rest of my family to troop into the great hall. Dom sat next to me, happily chattering away about Colin and the next Hogsmeade trip (which was next weekend). She had no clue that another individual would be joining in on our secret in a few hours.

Not long after, everyone began to file out of the great hall and filter down to the Quidditch pitch. Frozen grass crunched under my boots and I picked at my gloves, which were wearing too thin too soon as the wind bit at my face. The cold weather had gotten colder, but thankfully the game was spared from snow. Quidditch was rarely ever called off for the weather, but a snowy game never went well and often lasted late into the night.

Dom and I met the rest of our family in our usual spot on the Gryffindor side of the Quidditch pitch. Multiple people had wrapped their Gryffindor scarves around their necks for warmth and support for their team; a few select seventh year boys had painted their faces in red and gold. Lily and Hugo had made a sign for James and Albus and were holding it up proudly for the whole crowd to see. I became promptly squished between my family and the rest of the house. Hagrid had even come out to support the team, his wildly tangled beard now tinged with grey hairs.

It didn't take long for Madame Hooch to walk out to the middle of the field to meet the two teams coming from opposite ends of the pitch. The Gryffindor team marched proudly with fist pumps galore and lots of shouting. James and Albus took the lead, looking very much alike with their messy dark hair. The Slytherin team met the crowd's cheers and hisses with arms waving. Scorpius and Hayden didn't flail around like the rest of the team, but did smirk more profoundly than usual.

James and the Slytherin captain shared a tense handshake, Madame Hooch listed off the rules and released the snitch which flew around Albus's head once and took off. The players mounted their brooms, the Quaffle was released, and the match began.

I can't say that I know much about Quidditch, despite being surrounded by it due to my family. While James guarded the hoops on the Gryffindor side and Albus raced against time and the Slytherin seeker to find the snitch, the rest of the players became lost in the game. I kept a close eye on Scorp, who was playing his role as beater and zoomed around the pitch to send the Bludgers towards the opposing team members. I winced every time he aimed one at Albus, but I knew it wasn't anything personal. It was all part of the game.

Within an hour, the game was coming to an end. Al had already almost caught the snitch once, and tensions were very high. The score was 90-60 with Gryffindor leading. My fingers were numb and my throat raw from the cold air and screaming with the rest of my family whenever Gryffindor scored a goal. I would silently cheer every time Slytherin scored as well, but was careful not to make it obvious I wasn't being completely faithful to Gryffindor.

Soon enough, Al caught the snitch with a triumphant dive to the ground, the little golden ball still in his hand. The Gryffindor team engulfed each other in hugs, the stands filled with lots of screaming. The Slytherin team looked dejected, apart from Scorpius who looked less than pleased but somewhat respectful. My family and I ran out onto the pitch to congratulate James and Albus on their spectacular win. Everything was normal until Al pulled me aside from the celebrating and walked me out of the pitch. No one noticed we were gone as we made our silent escape to the deserted grounds just outside the pitch.

"Good job, Al." I said to break the silence. We continued walking until we were in the privacy of the trees as the other students fought their way through the weather back to the castle. The idea of warm clothes and a warmer fire was inviting, but Albus was serious as we leaned against the trees.

"Thanks." He mumbled, a small smile forming on his face. Al had always been modest about his accomplishments, unlike James. But Al was also very proud of himself. He once told me he was going to live up to his dad and his granddad, and so far he was doing great.

"So what's going on, Rosie?" He asked. "Don't try to deny it. You've been pretty secretive lately."

My panic must have shown visibly on my face, because Albus smiled. "Don't worry, the rest of the family haven't noticed. At least I don't think so. James has been too focused on Quidditch and Hugo has… well he's just been Hugo." I let out a dry laugh. Hugo wasn't one to notice things if they were out of the ordinary.

"Nothing bad is happening. Well, it shouldn't be bad anyway." I mumbled.

"Then why can't you just tell us? Why can't you tell me? I thought we were best friends." Albus seemed hurt as he dug a hole into the dirt with the toe of his shoe. I focused on his foot moving in the ground to keep myself from bursting. Al would have to find out things slowly, not all at once.

"We are best friends." I confirmed. "I trust you with everything. This is just something that I'm not so sure you would like to hear…"

"I can handle it, Rose. I'm not soft."

"I know you're not." I said firmly. "But that's why I'm scared to tell you. I think you might become… irrational about it."

"Rose, now is not the time for big words." Al said. I laughed again, turning my focus to the forest in front of us, the trees black against a grey background of frosty plants and a bland sky.

"I promise I will let you explain whatever it is you have to say before I say anything." He spoke up next to me. I fingered the end of my Gryffindor scarf nervously.

"I've been seeing someone, but I'm not sure you'd like who it is." I let the information sink into Al's head, wanting to see if he could guess who it was.

"It's not that troll-head Robin again is it? He doesn't deserve you Rosie." Al said angrily.

"No, it's not Robin. It's someone that I really don't think the family would approve of…" I trailed off. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

"Then why are you seeing them?" Al asked.

"He's different than he seems." I said forcefully.

"Why wouldn't we approve of him? I mean what's he done that's—"

"It's Scorpius Malfoy." I blurted out. I was getting tired of waiting. If Albus was going to explode, I would let him do it now.

It took a while for Al to explode. First there was silence. I looked over at him to see his reaction, which turned out to be a blank stare. He turned red slowly, and then came the yelling.

"Rose, what are you thinking?" He shouted. I looked over my shoulder to see if any students passing by had heard the commotion, but it seemed that everyone had returned to the castle by this point.

"Al, you said you would let me expl—"

"No, Rose. This is bad news. The Malfoys are bad news! Haven't you learned anything from your Mum and Dad? From my Mum and Dad?" Albus was pacing back and forth now.

"You need to listen to me!" I retaliated.

"Rose, you can't be seeing him! You haven't been… you've been… you can't have—"

"Albus Severus Potter!" I yelled, sounding dangerously like my Aunt Ginny. Al stopped pacing and faced me. I couldn't properly read his expression because it kept changing from anger, to disbelief, back to anger and then to confusion.

"We've been raised to hate them. But have you ever actually talked to one of them? To Mr. Malfoy when we visit the ministry? To Scorpius in the hallway?"

Al looked down. "Well, no but—"

"No, Al. You haven't. You've never given Scorpius the chance to be anyone but who you think he is. I didn't want to either, but I'm really glad I got to know him. And I'd be really glad if you got to know him too."

Albus looked around, his eyes never meeting mine. He seemed to be contemplating his next move. I crossed my arms, not letting down my upper hand that I had.

"I don't know, Rose." He said stiffly, still not meeting my eyes. I said nothing. I would stay in this forest all night until Al would agree to meet Scorpius officially or so help me Merlin I would drag him there myself.

"Do you love him?" He asked. I was taken aback at the question. I had expected more protestations from him, or more false accusations of the Malfoy family.

"I think I could." I answered honestly. Scorp and I had only been dating for a short time, and love was something I didn't want to jump into so quickly. But it wasn't hard to think about loving Scorpius. It wasn't hard to picture loving him at all, because I knew I was already going down that road and wouldn't be turning back any time soon.

Al looked down again. It started to snow, white flakes contrasting with his dark hair.

"Will you at least meet him?" I asked quietly. "You don't have to like him right away. But I think you should meet him."

He nodded shortly to the ground.

"You know he reminds me of you sometimes." I said. Al looked up, surprised by my words. "And James. He's just as arrogant as James can be. He's also just as caring as you can be. And just as understanding. And you would find that out if you got to know him."

There was another long pause.

"I don't want to like him Rose." Albus said.

"You don't have to. But you will. I promise you, you won't be disappointed. He's important to me. Please, just give him a chance."

I waited for a long time while Al dug another hole into the ground. He fiddled with his wand in his pocket. He looked around some more, and finally he met my eyes.

"I'll talk to him. But I'm not going to like him." He seemed to be saying it more to himself than me, but the reaction was good enough for my standards.

"Good. Let's go then, I told him I'd see him not long after the game." I turned to the castle and started walking.

"Right now?" Albus asked sharply, running to catch up to me.

"Now or never. And James can't know about this. Or anyone else; this is a secret for you to keep, Al." I said.

Now that Albus knew the secret, it would be up to him to keep it a secret. I led him to the common room knowing fully well that Scorpius and Albus would be officially meeting tonight. What would happen then? I could only hope for the best.

**A/N: Wow. Don't come after me guys! Haha I realize it's been a while since I updated :/ and I promised quicker updates too! So actually, you guys can come after me if you want… In all seriousness I'm glad this chapter finally got finished! I think it's a pretty pivotal moment in the story and I hope it does the wait justice! I know I leave you guys on a lot of cliff hangers but if I didn't, my chapters would be reeeeeaaally long and I wouldn't want to write them! Let me know what you guys think of this chapter and what you think will happen next :) Your reviews make me update faster! This is a proven fact by science ;) **

**-Yours in eternity, Amy **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

"He's not coming." Albus mumbled against his hand, which was propped up against the arm of his seat.

"He is; he's just running late." I said, busying myself with my Transfiguration homework. After I spoke to Scorpius on my own and told him what had happened, he had begrudgingly agreed to meet Albus in the library with me.

Now, after five minutes of waiting, Albus had become convinced that Scorpius would not show up. He huffed in his seat next to me, shifting positions every five seconds. He reminded me of a fussy, bored child and I was once again faced with the feeling of being his mother.

"Al, would you stop getting your wand in a knot?" I snapped. "He'll be here; you just have to wait."

"Oh, forgive me. I don't feel like sitting around waiting for someone I'd really rather not have to meet." He snapped.

Our bickering continued silently, accompanied by the sounds of Madam Pince lurking in the bookshelves and shushing us. It had taken a lot of work on my part to convince her to allow Scorpius and I back in the library, but I still wasn't sure she completely trusted me. She seemed to be around much more than usual.

"Am I interrupting something?" A voice pierced through our whispered fight, and both Albus and I were met with the sight of Scorpius Malfoy.

His hands were shoved awkwardly into his pockets; his usual perfect posture that radiated confidence was gone, replaced by the slump of his shoulders. He looked downright uncomfortable, but I was hoping some bonding time would remedy that. I stood up from my chair and took Scorpius's hand out of his pocket, lacing my fingers through his. He seemed to relax a bit, his muscles unclenching despite Albus's slightly disgusted look. I shot him a glare and his face turned blank. This was going to take some work.

I guided Scorpius back to the chairs and sat down with him next to Albus and me on the side, ready to jump in if something went wrong. The two boys looked at anything but each other, Scorpius running his fingers over the pattern on the arm chair and Albus poking at dust specks flying through the air with his wand. I cleared my throat softly.

"Al, this is Scorpius. Scorpius, Al." I said in a pleasing tone. If they wouldn't properly introduce themselves, I would do it for them.

"I know who he is, Rose." Albus said in an irritated tone. He still wouldn't meet Scorpius's eyes.

"Just say hello to each other; for me." I pressed. Al's face twisted into discomfort once again.

"Evening, Potter." Scorpius spoke up stiffly from his seat. A flash of annoyance pierced Al's bright green eyes, but he huffed and responded.

"Can't say it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Malfoy."

"Al!" I snapped.

"What?" He sent me a look. "I said hello."

"You can't blame him Rose. Being an ass is in his genes." Scorpius said flatly.

"You're one to talk." Al shot back.

"Can't you two be civil to each other for one moment?" I practically shouted. Madam Pince was shuffling through the bookshelves nearby. I knew she was just waiting for another chance to banish us from the library.

"I understand that neither of you want to be doing this right now. But this is inevitable. Scorpius, you want to be accepted by my family? You may as well start trying now. Al, you want to start trusting me again? This is your chance. You're both acting like first years!" I continued. Nearby, a group of eavesdropping first years looked offended and filed away. Whoops.

"Rose." Albus spoke up quietly. I remained silent.

"Rosie." He said again. "I'm sorry. I'm trying. Sort of."

"This isn't easy Rose." Scorpius agreed. "I mean I've grown up hating practically your whole family— no offense." He added in Albus's direction.

"None taken. You've not exactly always been a bright figure in my life either."

I sighed. I knew that getting them to talk would be possible. Getting them to bond would be nearly impossible.

"This was a bad idea." Al said, starting to get up.

"Al, don't go." I pleaded. "I have a better idea. Obviously, this wasn't a success. But there's a Hogsmeade trip next weekend…" I trailed off hoping one of them would catch on to my plan.

"Rose, are you suggesting that we all go to Hogsmeade together?" Scorpius asked in slight disbelief.

"It's not a bad idea." I insisted. "We'd have stuff to do so you two wouldn't have to be forced into conversation. Just give it a thought."

Al sighed in frustration. "I'll think about it Rosie, but I make no promises."

He turned to leave.

"Al!" I said somewhat desperately. I hated the thought that he might have lost all trust and patience in me. "Still best friends?"

His face softened. "Of course; you'll always be my best friend Rose. That won't change no matter who you're with." He gave Scorpius a look, but not one of hatred. One that translated more into "you'd better be careful with my cousin or so help me Merlin bad things will happen." Scorp seemed to understand.

Albus turned and left the library, leaving me with Scorpius who was trying to find the right words to say. He kept opening and closing his mouth, reminding me very much of the fish in my grandparent's pond.

In the end, he simply looked at me with pity and sympathy. I sighed and reached across the space between our chairs to take his hand again. He tugged on it lightly and patted his lap. I almost denied, considering Madam Pince was bound to be somewhere watching us. However, the day had been a long one from the moment I woke up and I needed some quality down time.

I sat in Scorpius's lap, his hand absentmindedly running through my hair. I fingered the material of his shirt which was soft and probably very expensive. He smelled good, like his (expensive) cologne with an undertone of sweat. It doesn't sound appealing, but it was. And it reminded me that only hours previously, Scorpius had been playing a Quidditch game that he had lost.

"I'm sorry you lost the game." I mumbled into his chest.

"It's fine." He said somewhat bitterly above me. I could tell he was annoyed by the game's outcome, but he didn't want to add extra negativity to the conversation. "I'm sorry I didn't get along with your cousin."

I shifted in his lap. I was pretty disappointed in the events of their meeting, but I was more upset with Albus than I was with Scorpius. After all, Albus had promised he would give Scorpius a chance. Albus was supposed to be understanding and forgiving to everyone. He had been that way his whole life, and seeing him acting so coldly towards Scorpius made me angry. He hadn't even been trying to accept him.

"It's alright. It wasn't really your fault."

"No, I should have tried harder not to say anything… insulting…"

I adjusted myself so I was looking him in the eyes. I wasn't going to let Scorpius feel completely guilty for the failure of my cousin's cooperation.

"It wasn't fair to force you guys into liking each other." I admitted. "But maybe Hogsmeade would be a good place to try again?"

"I don't know, Rose…" He ran his fingers through his hair, a gesture that brought a smile to my face. "Isn't this kind of like mixing two completely different potions together and making a dangerous solution?" He wiggled his eyebrows at his subtle attempt at humor as he quoted notes from our potions study sessions.

"Well, glad to hear that you've actually been listening when we're studying." I poked him lightly.

"I always listen to what you're saying." He prompted. I laughed in disbelief.

"Right, I'll remember that next time you're falling asleep when I'm trying to teach you important things—" I was cut off by his lips meeting mine suddenly.

We separated reluctantly.

"No more talking about potions. Please." He smirked. I looked around for Madam Pince, who surely would have us thrown out again if she had witnessed the kiss, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Are we safe from Madam Piss?" Scorpius asked jokingly. I swatted at him in exasperation.

"You're lucky she doesn't hear you." I scolded him with a smile. It was impossible to genuinely yell at Scorp now simply because his face purely said he didn't believe I was really angry with him.

We didn't remain in the library for much longer, choosing to pack up our things early and spend some time with our respective friends. I almost dreaded returning to the Gryffindor common room. Merlin knew what attitude Albus would be in when I got there.

Stepping through the portrait hole I was greeted by James and Hugo, both seated in front of the fire place and surrounded by females. After every game, whether Gryffindor had won or not, James would recap every moment in extraordinary detail to anyone who would listen. Numerous girls of Gryffindor tower would gather around him hoping to impress him with their often poor knowledge of Quidditch. Hugo always joined in simply hoping one of those girls would notice him instead. I rolled my eyes at the sight and headed towards Dominique, who was sitting at a homework table.

"Hey, Dom." I sighed, removing my bag.

"Rosie! You have to tell me what happened. Albus came in here fuming and wouldn't tell me what was wrong." Dominique babbled immediately. I gave a short explanation of the previous events as Dom's eyes widened.

"You told him?" She asked in disbelief. "I thought you didn't want anyone else to know!"

"I didn't." I answered sharply. "He sort of figured it out on his own. I just filled in the gaps for him."

"Well if I'd known that, I wouldn't nearly be as stressed as I am lately. This secret keeping has been getting to me." She said dramatically.

"Dom, you've been great." I assured her. She flipped her sleek hair over her shoulder in satisfaction as she continued to work.

I pulled out my own homework and happily turned my thoughts away from the rivalry between my cousin and my boyfriend to the magical properties of the number seven. Arithmancy had always been a favorite subject of mine.

The week that followed felt busier than ever. Now that Albus knew the secret, I felt more comfortable being around him and was able to finally feel like his proper cousin again. However there was always that air of awkwardness hanging about. We both knew the Hogsmeade trip was approaching soon which meant- to Albus's dismay- he would have to give socializing with Scorpius another go.

Al and I trooped down to Herbology together for a long class with the Slytherins. The weather was dreadful as usual; grey skies and a biting cold. It wasn't even December yet and it already felt like the middle of winter. I knew by the next Quidditch match, Hogwarts would most definitely be joined by snowfall.

We joined the rest of the Gryffindors, weighed down by faded red and gold sweaters and scarves. I pulled my own cloak more tightly around me and casually scanned the crowd to look for Scorpius in the Slytherin group. He stood near the entrance to the greenhouse with Hayden looking perfectly comfortable.

I envied his constant warmth. He was almost never bothered by the cold. Al, meanwhile, was struggling to keep up an air of comfort though I could tell his teeth were chattering in his mouth, which was clamped shut.

"Cold day isn't it, students?" Professor Sprout's voice carried over the wind. She came stumbling down the frosty grass in two coats and a pair of worn earmuffs that might have once been pink. She carried pruning shears in one hand and her wand in the other as she elbowed her way to the door of Greenhouse six. Tapping the lock sharply, the door opened slowly and the warmth of the greenhouse invited us in.

"In! Quickly now! We don't want to let the cold in!" We all filed through the doorway, grateful for the warm, damp air in the greenhouse. I removed my scarf and pulled on a pair of protective gloves at my station with Al and Dominique. Scorpius and Hayden were stationed directly across from us. I couldn't help smiling at him as he smirked in my general direction.

"Settle down, now!" Professor Sprout called. The room quieted and we all turned our attention to her. "Today we'll be doing something relatively simple. I'm going to pair you all up and you'll be pruning the fourth years' flutterby bushes today." Several students groaned. Pruning flutterby bushes was dreadfully boring work.

Still, Professor Sprout deposited a pot of the quivering plant at each station and made her rounds. Al, Dom and I got to work quickly, silently clipping the dead leaves. It was dull work and I longed to simply grab Scorpius's hand and drag him out of the greenhouse to explore the frozen grounds in a moment of solitude. Lately, classes and Quidditch had kept us separated and our tutoring sessions had become too important to Scorpius's grade to allow goofing off time.

As my thoughts began to trail away from Herbology and to more interesting subjects, Albus's voice cut through my daze sharply.

"So, Rose," he drawled from my left. I glanced suspiciously at him. His tone of voice was far too forced to be casual. "Seeing anyone lately?"

My heart stopped for a moment. Dominique sent him a look but he pretended to ignore it. I couldn't help but notice Scorpius casually listening in.

"What do you mean, Al?" I asked. Luckily, most of the class was chattering amongst themselves. However, a few students nearby had started tuning in to our conversation as well. Since when had my love life become so interesting?

"I mean you haven't been with any blokes since Robin, you know? And I was just wondering if there was someone we don't know about." Albus replied. I couldn't believe he was doing this. We had been getting along so well lately and I was starting to become hopeful about the weekend ahead. Now, those hopes were shrinking with every word Al uttered.

"A-Al, you know there isn't anyone. Now leave the topic alone." I said rather quickly. It broke my heart to see the look on Scorpius's face. I knew that he knew I was only saying that to protect our relationship, but it hurt us both to hear the lie out loud.

"You sure? A fit young woman like you should be breaking hearts everywhere she goes!" Al said, sounding very much like my Great, Great Auntie Muriel.

"Albus Potter, shut up!" Dominique snapped from my right.

I remained silent the rest of the class, the Weasley blush refusing to leave my face and tears pricking at my eyes. I did my best to keep up a front of comfort and bolted as soon as the bell rang. I waited outside the greenhouse for Scorpius. He was the only one I wanted to see.

Al came striding out, practically bouncing on his heels. He looked delighted, the bastard. Dominique rushed out immediately after him, swearing under her breath and fast walking to catch up with him. I knew she would comfort me later. I waited for Scorpius, hoping he wouldn't be with Hayden or too hurt by my comment earlier to talk. I fiddled with a strap on my bag as the wind stung at my face.

"Rose" A deep voice said. I looked up, hoping to see Scorpius and slightly disappointed when I was met by the face of Finley Thomas.

"Oh, hi Finley." I said politely. Now was really not the time for a conversation but I couldn't be rude and avoid him.

"Hey, I heard Albus earlier. Are you okay?" He asked. He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. He's just a prick." I answered. I was hoping he would leave, but no such luck.

"It's bloody cold isn't it?" He remarked, glancing up to the sky. I nodded in agreement, pulling my cloak around me tighter.

"Bound to snow soon. Wouldn't mind organizing a snowball fight when it does. You game for one?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll let my cousins know too." I said flatly. Were we really going to talk about the weather?

"I should get going, really. My next class is way upstairs and I have to stop by the common room…" I trailed off.

"Wait! Um…" Finley looked uncomfortable and brought a hand up to the back of his neck. "I just thought, well… since I heard you're not seeing anyone right now… that maybe you wouldn't mind going up to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

I was shocked. Was Finley asking me on a date? A proper date?

"Um… I mean I'd like to, I really would!" I said quickly. How was I going to avoid this without mentioning Scorpius in my premade plans? "I'm meant to go with Albus this weekend. We've been planning some cousin time for a while and I really don't want to cancel on him."

I felt awful as Finley's face fell. He plastered a fake smile on right away.

"That's fine! Really, I'll just see you around." He turned on the spot and walked away, head bowed low.

I leaned against a nearby tree, feeling like I had just been defeated in a duel. How had my day gone so rotten so fast?

"You want me to hex him?" A familiar voice said next to me. I turned to see Scorpius looking at me expectantly.

I shook my head silently and moved closer to him, accepting his embrace as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Jesus, you're cold." He mumbled above me.

"No, you're just warm." I muttered. He chuckled and wrapped his arms tighter around me. Stolen moments like these were my favorites with Scorpius. The light banter, the cuddling. I just wish they didn't have to be so secret. I was getting exhausted keeping this relationship a secret.

"I'm really sorry I had to say that." I said. Neither of us had to elaborate, we knew what I was talking about.

"I'm sorry that arse hole of a cousin brought it up in the first place." He suddenly sounded angry. No, worse than angry— furious.

"He'll feel bad for it later. I just wish he was more mature sometimes. He acts like James too much."

"No, Rose. He isn't going to feel sorry for it later. He's going to be smug as fuck about it for the rest of the year and you know it!" Scorpius said in plain annoyance. "He should never have gotten involved with us."

I pulled back to look at him properly. Scorpius's eyes were clouded with darkness again. But this time, the darkness was accompanied by anger, not desire.

"Hey," I said soothingly, lightly tracing the dark circles under his eyes with my fingers. He hadn't been getting enough sleep lately with homework and practice at every turn. "I know its rubbish. But we'll get through it."

His gaze met mine and the darkness faded. The light grey returned, reflecting the color of the sky.

"I know." He pressed a kiss to my forehead, making my heart flutter. I had never pegged Scorpius to be one for intimacy, but I was really glad he was.

"What's your next class?" He asked in a light tone.

"Muggle Studies, why?" I asked.

"Do you really need to sit in a stiflingly boring class when you could be taking a private tour of the Hogwarts grounds with your fantastic boyfriend?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I don't know, maybe if I had a fantastic boyfriend I would think about it." I teased, ruffling his hair lightly. I started to walk up to the castle, swaying my hips a little more than usual.

"Hey! Let me rephrase that," He grabbed my wrist and spun me around. "You're invited to a private tour of the Hogwarts grounds with your sexy and overly confident boyfriend who knows for a fact that he is, indeed, fantastic."

"Mm. Do I have to go?" I teased again.

"Non-refundable ticket." And with that he pulled me into his side away from the greenhouses into the rest of my afternoon.

I entered the common room, trying to conceal the dazed smile on my face. I had actually skipped a class. I had actually skipped a class and run off with my boyfriend. I had snogged said boyfriend under the window of said class and run off giggling when there was movement at the window. I was definitely going through a sort of early, rebellious mid-life crisis.

"Rosie! Just the favorite cousin I wanted to see!" Albus spoke up from in front of the fire. I rolled my eyes, snapping out of my memories. Couldn't Albus tell I was not in the mood?

"Shove it, Al."

"Ooh, touchy darling Rosie dear! You should be thanking me right now!"

I marched up to him in obvious anger. "You have no right to be talking to me right now. You made a real twat move back there."

"Rosie, such language! I really think I might have to send an owl to Uncle Ron. Inform him of your vocabulary lately." He said smugly.

"Al, I swear to god…" I trailed off, tired of dealing with him.

"Before you go, I wanted to let you know that I fixed things with Finley for you." He said. I froze.

"You did what?"

"Finley Thomas came in looking— well, for lack of a better phrase, put out. So I talked to him. Would you believe he said you weren't willing to cancel your day with me to spend a day with him? I told him I wouldn't be an issue anymore and you were free for Saturday."

"Albus Severus Potter." I said in my most deadly voice. "You know that we had something very important planned for that weekend. You know that." Tears were pricking at my eyes again.

"Something important? It hardly matters at all. The idea is delusional actually." I knew there was a double meaning there and it stung.

"Don't talk to me again." I said in a tone that meant no kidding around. He looked a bit surprised, but kept his arrogant face strong. "You've betrayed everything." I stormed away from him.

Dominique saw me walking away in tears and led me upstairs to our dormitory. I struggled to explain what had happened as the frustrated tears took over. She sympathetically patted my back.

"Dom, you have to promise me that you'll force Albus and Scorpius to still be there on Saturday." I pleaded. She looked uncomfortable, but nodded nonetheless.

I knew that this weekend was my only chance at getting Albus and Scorpius to bond. If it failed, my relationship may have been over in the blink of an eye.

**A/N: Ugh. So I know this doesn't necessarily make up for a four month long hiatus. I'm sorry guys **** Honestly, this story writes itself as I go along and while I have major plot points decided already, the ideas don't really come to me until I sit down and force myself to type. I swear I'll try to do that more! Okay so no more apologizing in my author's notes haha. What are your opinions on Albus? He's so much fun to write even though he can be a brat ;) Let me know what you think about him! Also let me know what you think will happen with Finley Thomas and the Hogsmeade weekend! Reviews make me update faster! **

**In fact, I'll make you a deal: Reviews make Albus and Scorpius best friends right away x**

**~yours in eternity x**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

Rose's POV:

I had never fully appreciated my scarf so much as I did now. Firstly, for keeping the chilling temperatures at bay. The cold had only gotten worse with the first snow fall of the year making its appearance this morning. Hugo had been bouncing around the common room, eager to run outside and make good use of the powdery, white snow while it was still there. Even at fourteen years old, he still reminded me of younger days at my mum and dad's house.

Apart from the warmth provided by my scarf, it was also providing me with something very important. With the help of my hair, it hid the blush that was creeping up my cheeks the whole time Finley Thomas and I were walking down to Hogsmeade.

Finley's hands were stuck in his pockets, his brow creased as we faced the light snowfall that was still hanging through the late morning air. I had spent the morning thinking of ways I was going to kill Albus (rather graphically, I might add). This "date" I was forced to be on with Finley had started out awkwardly and was only getting worse.

"So," Finley voiced from beside me. I turned my head only slightly. "It's pretty cold, isn't it?"

Again with the weather. I nodded stiffly and gave him a half smile. Really I shouldn't have been as angry with Finley. It wasn't his fault that this day was happening. It was Albus's stubborn refusal to accept my relationship with Scorpius.

The snowy village of Hogsmeade became clearer through the frosty haze of the air. I could see several Hogwarts students milling around the streets, seeking refuge inside the cozy looking shops. Snow crunched under my boots and I stepped carefully to avoid any slip ups on the ice. Finley asked me something, but I couldn't hear him. The wind was howling too loudly. He gestured to one of the shops and I followed him inside, leaving the cold weather behind me.

All I could think about was the fact that somewhere in the same village, Scorpius and Albus were being forced into spending time together thanks to Dominique.

Albus got me into this mess, and now he was getting his payback in a mess of his own.

Scorpius's POV:

It was too bloody cold. Who decided to put a Hogsmeade weekend on the snowiest day of the year anyway? Normally, if Rose was my present company I would be using her body heat as a way to warm up (one of my favorite ways by far.)

However, my present company didn't include my girlfriend. Instead it was replaced with the twat she calls her cousin and her best friend. And if you thought I was going to cuddle up with either of them, you had another thing coming; most likely my fist.

"Will you two stop being so quiet?" Dominique demanded in an annoyed tone. The weather didn't seem to affect her whatsoever as she kept up a much faster pace than Potter and I.

Potter looked as uncomfortable as I felt. A permanent sneer had graced his face from the moment he had stepped out of the Gryffindor portrait hole. Arsewipe. It was his fault this was happening anyway. If he hadn't lined up my girlfriend on a date with that sorry prick Finley Thomas, we wouldn't be in this situation. Or, I suppose we would be, but we would be accompanied by Rose who was much better company than Dominique.

Speaking of Dominique, she had stopped rather suddenly in front of us on the snowy sidewalk. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, blue eyes looking more menacing than usual as she eyed us both.

"You lot are impossible. I thought Rose was exaggerating when she said you two hadn't hit it off but you're about as fun as a History of Magic lesson!"

"Dom shut it." Potter snapped. I felt like punching him, but I also agreed with him.

"What?" She flipped her silky blonde hair off her scarf. "I'm just saying. You two need to find something in common and start talking about it."

"Oh, we do have something in common." I spoke up. Both Potter and Dominique looked at me with surprised faces. "We're both wondering how we got stuck in this sorry situation."

Potter glared and Dominique groaned. She was rather dramatic.

"Why don't you two go find something to do and I'll just follow and watch. I'm missing out on a date with Colin anyway so you'd better be best friends by the time this day's over." She whined. For some reason I had absolutely no sympathy for her.

We walked on through the streets, my breath fogging up in front of me. I noticed the Quidditch Shop across the street and headed towards it. If Dominique wanted us to find something in common, maybe this was the right place to start.

I always loved the smell of Quidditch shops. Maybe it was the rubber or the freshly polished wood. I felt at home and like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders as soon as I stepped inside.

Potter immediately raced for the selection of racing brooms on the walls. I went to admire the Beater's bats in the corner, far away from him. This was already torture.

Dominique wandered around, looking lost. I almost felt sorry for her now that I saw how much she had to put up with. With a family like hers, this day was probably just the kind of thing she didn't need.

"Wow..." Potter breathed from the corner. He was immersed in a magazine on display near the register. I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

"Dom, you've got to come see this." Dominique strolled over to him.

"What's so great about it? It's just another broom." Now that caught my attention.

"Just another broom? Dom you have no idea what this thing is supposed to do! It's so new, not even the most successful Quidditch teams have a hold of one yet!"

I casually wandered over to them, my interest completely sparked. A new racing broom out on the market?

I tried to catch a glimpse of it from a safe distance until Dominique turned to me.

"Scorpius! You like Quidditch and stuff don't you? Have at it!" She grabbed my shoulder and shoved me into Albus's side, knocking over a stand of Quaffle balls in the process.

"Watch it!" Potter yelled when I accidentally rammed into him. I huffed. He was such a girl.

"Relax. It was your cousin who pushed me."

Despite the uncomfortable proximity with Potter, the broom was now in full view on the glossy pages of the magazine. And it was absolutely brilliant.

The handle was a glossy cherry wood with fantastic little add-ons and footrests. The tail of the broom was clipped to perfection and shaped artfully. The descriptions surrounding the broom made it even more appealing. It was supposed to be faster, sharper and lighter than any other broom on the market.

"Will knock the Firebolt right out of business." I muttered, reading the review at the bottom of the page.

"Doubt it'll happen that quickly. This thing's bound to cost a fortune." Potter spoke up from beside me. "No team's going to drop a galleon on it until it's been proven better than all the other models."

"Yeah, probably. But Merlin is it nice to look at." I was practically salivating.

Then I realized I had actually indulged in a conversation with Potter where I hadn't wanted to enchant his broomstick to fly up his arse.

He seemed to come to the same realization and we separated. He tossed the magazine back onto the counter and wound his scarf tighter around his neck.

"What do you say to some butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks?" He said to no one in particular. Dominique smirked from her position by the door and bounced out, the wind ringing the bell over the shop door as we exited.

The Three Broomsticks was crowded and noisy upon our entrance. Finding a table was difficult, but we squeezed into a small spot by an ice covered window and waited for the bar maiden to take our orders. Potter played with a hole in his glove. Dominique hummed some popular song while she smoothed down her hair. I sat with my chin in my hand, scanning the crowd in the restaurant.

If anyone saw me here with Potter, I would never be able to explain myself. It was common knowledge that Potter and I simply didn't like each other. And neither of us would be able to explain Dominique. That was all Rose's idea.

As soon as Rose's name came into my mind, there she was. She had just entered with Finley Thomas. She looked downright frigid. Wasn't this git even a little bit concerned about her health? If he'd been keeping her outside all afternoon, I was going to kill him. He kept waving his hands around her while she was distracted by the menu, like he didn't know whether or not to make a move.

I felt myself grow angrier as he placed his hand dangerously close to hers resting on the table. If that dick laid so much as one finger on her precious little body I would—

"Scorpius!" Dominique's shrill voice snapped from my right. I looked up to see the bar maiden looking at me expectantly.

"Um, I'll have a butterbeer." I mumbled. She scribbled it down on her parchment and then looked to Potter. He flashed a toothy grin.

"Hey Aunt Hannah!" Aunt Hannah? How many aunts did these people have anyway? "One firewhiskey for your favorite student?"

"Al," the bar maiden said in a fake groan. "You know I can't serve you liquor, you're underage." Her smile gave away her false tone.

"Oh, alright." Potter moaned dramatically. "I guess we'll have to settle for three extra strong butterbeers then." He winked at Dominique and she rolled her eyes at him. The bar maiden laughed with a dimpled smile and then left.

"Is she really your aunt?" I asked Dominique. I could have asked Potter the same question, but that would mean making light conversation with him and it was weird enough before.

"No." She giggled. "A close family friend. We've known her and our Uncle Neville since we were in nappies though."

Uncle Neville? She must have been talking about the Herbology teacher that had gone off to discover more magical plants last year. Why you would want to do that I would never be able to guess, but Professor Sprout had returned in her ancient age to take his place on his break.

"Hey, there's Rosie!" Dominique quietly squealed. She kept glancing at me to see my reaction to Rose on a date with another bloke.

"I know." I said stiffly. Potter turned, his eyebrows raised in interest.

Rose looked bored as ever as Finley babbled on, probably about some useless topic. She kept sneaking looks at the clock on the wall. I laughed to myself at her blatantly obvious discomfort.

"She doesn't seem too engaged." Potter said. I strongly resisted the urge to slap him round the back of his head.

"Yeah, because she's _my_ girlfriend." I mumbled. Potter shot me a look.

"I'm just trying to get her to open up her options." He said arrogantly. I couldn't believe this prick. Had I ever interfered with one of his relationships?

"If she had wanted more options, don't you think it might have crossed her mind to stay away from me?" I pressed. Potter shifted in his seat.

"She's confused. Robin fucking Hemming dumped her earlier this year and I didn't want her making any stupid decisions while she was still upset."

"Yeah, I know about that idiot. I know a lot of things about Rose, probably more than you do."

"She's my cousin! You can't actually think you—"

"Shut it! Both of you!" Dominique snapped, silencing Potter and myself.

"This is ridiculous! Neither of you are even attempting to see things from a different perspective than your own. How do you ever expect to get along if you keep on fighting like this?" She continued in a small rage.

"I don't expect to get along—"

"Enough with the snide remarks, Scorpius! There's enough hot air circling around both your heads to melt the snow outside. Both of you need to just let go of your egos and try to think clearly for a moment."

We were both silent. I didn't dare say something else and make Dominique upset. She looked on the verge of tears (though I couldn't fathom why) and as previously noted before, I was bad with crying girls.

"I'm just trying to look out for her." Potter spoke up. His tone was one I had never heard him use before. One of distress? No, that was too much. More like one of protection.

"I want her to be happy. And I want her to have fun for once. I especially don't want her getting hurt again." He was staring straight at me, making me very uncomfortable. I tried not to think about how much he looked like his father. Harry Potter scared the living crap out of me whenever I saw him at the ministry.

I realized Potter was waiting for my response.

"I'm not going to hurt her. Not intentionally." I started. "I couldn't even think of doing that. At the beginning of the year, I thought when I first started talking to her I could just end it. It would be too complicated. Too much baggage attached. But once I was in her world, I didn't want to leave. She's the first person to actually see me for me in a long time."

Damn I sounded like a pussy. But it was all true, and if losing a little bit of my masculinity today was what it took to get Potter off my back then that's what I would do.

"What do you mean baggage?" Dominique asked.

"Well, not to be rude, but I mean you. Her family in general. There's a lot of you and not a lot of me." This earned a chuckle out of Dominique.

"This whole relationship was not something I thought I would be getting into this year, but I'm not backing out of it. Not this easily."

For a long time, everything around me seemed hazy. Unsure of itself. Things started to mold together. My parents didn't talk to me as much unless it was about schoolwork or the ministry career they both wanted for me. My friends were all becoming pains in my ass. My life seemed to be written out before me and it was like there was nothing I could do to change what was decided.

Then, Rose Weasley was looking at me. She never looked at me and I had never truly realized how red her hair was against a sea of black and grey uniforms. I had never realized how sparkly her eyes were, especially when they held tears. I didn't want her to cry but remembering the moment in the empty classroom, I think now she had never looked more vulnerable, or beautiful.

Rose Weasley was color on a black and white canvas. Rose Weasley was a flower in a desert. Rose Weasley was the unexpected rainfall in a drought.

"I understand." Potter said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, what?" I asked. Having these heartfelt conversations were making me dizzy.

"I understand now. I didn't before. I didn't understand why anything would be happening between you two. But I think I get it, sort of." He looked really uncomfortable, like the words were painful to say. But I didn't think he was lying.

"Thanks." I said softly, eyes looking down at the table.

"I'll get Finley to back off. He'll listen to me, we're mates." He said louder this time, and I knew he had directed his attention to Dominique.

"Three butterbeers!" The bar maiden had returned and cleared the air of all the tension that was just there. She set down three glasses of frothy, amber liquid and giggled as she walked away.

I took a sip but recoiled. There wasn't the warm, sweet taste of butterbeer at my tongue, but the burning sensation of something stronger. I felt my body warm up and my tension slip away even more. This was definitely not butterbeer.

"You're welcome." Potter said in a somewhat satisfied tone as he sipped away at his glass. I cocked an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"I'm pretty sure you didn't actually want butterbeer, right? Firewhiskey is much better. Aunt Hannah is easy to sway when it comes to the rules." Dominique laughed.

"Um, thanks." I took more sips, allowing myself to relax more. It felt like the hardest part of this day was over. But it also felt like there would only be harder things to come. I glanced over at Rose across the restaurant and saw she had found me with her eyes as well. She blushed, the rim of her glass that she was sipping hiding her pretty smile. Finley was still babbling on, oblivious. I reveled in the fact that even on a date with Finley, Rose was still much more interested in me.

I smiled at her and she returned the smile. I knew I would be seeing her shortly as we had agreed to meet up after the trip was over. Just the thought of her made sitting with her cousins less awkward. They were her family and I had to start accepting them like Rose had accepted me.

"Hey, Malfoy. I get the fact that you and Rose haven't seen each other all day but if you could avoid the eye sex right now that would be fantastic." Potter said sarcastically. I turned my attention to him and smirked.

"All part of the package deal."

"You two haven't actually done anything more than just eye sex if you know what I mean?"

I nearly choked on my drink. Spluttering for air, I coughed out an answer.

"No! Of course not!" I massaged my throat, which was burning now. Dominique giggled again.

"Glad to hear it. Just needed to know, Rose is my best friend after all." He said matter-of-factly with a smug grin on his face.

If this was life with Albus Potter, I would have to send letters of congratulations to James Potter and Lily Potter. I don't know how they did it every day.

**A/N: So I hope this chapter is worth it! Don't Scorpius and Albus make the cutest bromance in the making ;) I liked writing in Scorpius's POV! Let me know if you guys like it too! I'm really excited for the ideas and upcoming chapters I have planned so look forward to new chapters ahead! Thanks again to everyone who has ever reviewed or looked at my story before; I wouldn't be writing this without the support of you guys! **

**~ yours in eternity xx (or Amy Stilinski) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

**Rose's POV:**

** "…And then I punched him right in the nose!" **

** "Al, you did **_**not**_**." Dominique whined from the seat next to me.**

** "I came pretty close. He wasn't backing down." Al piped up across from us, sprawled out on the seats of the compartment, legs flopping around near Hugo who looked less than pleased about the arrangement. **

** Christmas break had finally descended upon the castle, bringing a frenzy of students packing bags for home and a flurry of snow making the view outside the train impossible to discern.**

** Al, Dominique, Hugo and I had chosen a compartment in the train to squeeze into for the two hour trip it would take to return to London. After that, it would be a drive to our grandparents' house for Christmas. **

** Christmas at the Burrow was something I looked forward to every year. Somehow, despite the sheer size of our large family, we managed to fit most everyone into one tiny, tall cramped house for the holidays and it was chaos every year. That was what was so brilliant about it. **

** Albus's harsh voice snapped me back to reality. He had been going on and on about his confrontation with Finley Thomas earlier that day, which had gone more difficult than planned. **

_**"I was just trying to get Finley to back down from Rose, y'know? Tell him she hadn't had a good time on their date and she was too polite to say so. He wouldn't take a word I said in. Said I was just being overprotective as her cousin and all." He puffed himself up importantly at the mention of his status. **_

_** "I had to really drill it into him that you were not interested, Rosie. Finley may never speak to me again." I rolled my eyes; Albus was being dramatic. **_

_** "I can't believe he actually had the nerve to talk back to you." I said in slight surprise. Finley had always seemed like such a nice person. The fact that he hadn't taken my rejection lightly felt weird.**_

_** "I'm just glad it's over with." Scorpius spoke up from next to me. **_

_** "It's done. So you'd better keep her happy." Albus said, addressing him in his most serious voice. "But not too happy." **_

_** My cheeks burned. Ever since Albus had begrudgingly accepted mine and Scorpius's relationship, he had taken it upon himself to be the one making inappropriate remarks about it. **_

** "Rose?" Albus's voice in the present drawled next to me. "You still with us?"**

** "Hmm? Yeah." I said, turning my attention to my cousins and brother seated around me. **

** "Al, I'm tired of hearing about Finley and the fight that didn't really happen. Can't we talk about something else?" Dom asked impatiently. She tucked a stray blonde strand of hair under her beanie. **

** "Of course, my darling dear Dominique." She threw her gloves at Albus and he dodged them expertly. **

** "Who's outside the door?" Hugo spoke up from under Albus's feet. He shoved his legs back to the floor of the compartment and ruffled his untidy hair around to make it even messier. **

** There was indeed a shadow on the other side of the fogged up compartment door and then a light knock from the outside. Immediately, I somehow knew who it was. **

** "I'll be right back." I announced casually.**

** Slipping outside the compartment door, I was met by the sight of Scorpius leaning against the wall of the train, a black coat draped around his shoulders. I pulled my own jacket tighter around myself. The train couldn't escape the frozen chill from outside completely, and many of us had kept our outer layers on. **

** "I wanted to talk to you somewhere alone." He said with a shy smile, which was rare. Scorpius was always so sure of his every action. It seemed that around me sometimes, he tended to let that guard down. I liked that he did, it showed that he trusted me.**

** I followed him down the hall at a safe distance, so as not to look suspicious to the other students. Finally, he turned into an empty compartment at the end of the train, and slipped inside quietly. I ducked inside and giggled as Scorpius twisted the lock. **

** Immediately, I was in his arms. We hadn't seen much of each other lately due to packing and break approaching. Now a merciful moment alone was exactly what we both needed. **

** "You realize this is the last time I get to see you before we get off this train for weeks, Rose. Weeks." He emphasized the last word with great stress. **

** "Then you'd better make it worth it." I teased, biting my lip. Flirting hadn't always been my strongest suit, but around Scorpius I know he didn't really care.**

** We kissed, but the kiss felt different than usual. Maybe it was because things were finally starting to become easier in our relationship. There were still moments of uncertainty where we knew there would be too many people against it. Overall, the approval from the two people I trusted the most was enough to keep me happy. However, I knew Scorpius had a family that wouldn't take lightly to the news. We tried to keep away from that subject.**

** Mostly, I think the kiss felt different because we both knew it would be the last one for a few weeks, and that was hard to think about. **

** I ran my fingers up his arms and into his hair, my favorite thing to do when we were doing this. I tugged lightly on the strands of hair curled around my fingers, causing him to moan softly. His arms tightened around me and pulled me closer, if that was possible. **

** We pulled apart slowly for air, and I giggled. I couldn't help but turn slightly giddy in Scorpius's presence sometimes. **

** "Merlin, woman. You're going to be the death of me." He mumbled with a smirk on his face. I couldn't stop the blush creeping on my cheeks, and he brought a hand up to my warmed skin. **

** "Will you be able to write?" I asked. **

** "'Course I will." He answered, moving his hand to a piece of red hair escaping my messy braid. "I'll have to check up on you to make sure no muggle blokes in the village are bothering you." **

** I huffed at that but smiled. Scorpius's concern about the muggle inhabitants of the village nearby the Burrow was flattering, but un-needed. **

** "The only people bothering me will be James or Albus; and probably Dominique." I added as an afterthought. He smirked again. **

** There was a rapping on the door, causing me to jump. Scorpius sighed as he untwisted the lock and the door slid open. Albus stood on the other side, looking smug. **

** "Sorry to interrupt whatever you two were getting up to, but Hugo is wondering where you are Rosie. I'm running out of things to tell him." **

** "Tell him I'll be right back." I said impatiently. Hugo's cluelessness was something I had to be careful about lately. **

** "Come back quickly, then. He doesn't like being out of the know." **

** I groaned in frustration and leaned my head against Scorpius's shoulder. He automatically wrapped his arms around my waist. **

** "Your brother might have to know what's going on eventually." He spoke up from above me. I lifted my head and met his gaze.**

** "Hugo can't keep a secret for his life." I protested. "If he knew, my whole entire family might as well know too." **

** "I don't want to be the reason you have to keep so many secrets from your family, Rose." He said. My heart fluttered at his concern. **

** "If my family knew, this wouldn't be allowed. I don't want to leave you for something so stupid." I said in a tone that hopefully got across my point.**

** His eyebrows lifted at my seriousness and he squeezed my waist gently. I allowed myself to bury my face into his neck and feel him before I left. **

** "I don't want to leave you either. I just don't want you to feel like you're trapped." **

** I didn't answer, just tightened my grip on his arms. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to my hair. **

** "I should get back to Hugo." I mumbled into his skin. Neither of us moved right away, wanting to drink in the moment. Finally, I pulled back and cupped his face with my hands. **

** He pressed his lips to mine in a final kiss for a little while. I turned to the compartment door and was halfway out when his voice sounded again behind me.**

** "Happy Christmas, Rose." **

** I smiled. Turning around to face him I said "Happy Christmas, Scorp." **

** "Fred Weasley! Is there any way you and James might be able to explain the rubber chickens in my kitchen cupboard?" My grandmother roared from the kitchen. Fred and James raced to her, doubled over in laughter. **

** It felt good to be home. Curled up on the scratchy couch in the sitting room with a romance novel and my favorite blanket, I sat back and observed the chaos that was the Potter-Weasley family. We had already gotten past the I-missed-you-it's-so-good-to-see-you greetings and were now all settling into the familiar pattern of shouting and relaxing. Albus had retreated to his respectful bedroom with Hugo trotting after him, unsure of what to do when James was in trouble.**

** I felt the cushions sink in next to me and turned my head. Dominique had occupied the space near me, a letter in her hand.**

** "Who's that from?" I asked politely.**

** "Colin. He's so sweet, he says he loves me and he's going to miss me over the break. We may try to meet in the muggle village." A broad smile crossed her face at the sound of her boyfriend's name. I glanced at the letter, perusing the inked little hearts all along the page. It was slightly sickening, but sweet all the same.**

** "Have you and Scorpius said it yet?" Dom asked quietly. My face screwed into a confused expression.**

** "You haven't? I would have thought you'd have done by now! Forbidden love is so romantic." She gushed. **

** "What are you talking about?"**

** "You haven't said the 'L' word. The sentence every witch wants to hear." She explained to me. I felt very much like a four year old being instructed not to touch the hot stove while Grandma Weasley was cooking.**

** "Dom, we haven't been together all that long." I said, my face reddening. I turned my attention to my book, but the blonde witch snatched it out of my hands.**

** "Rosie, these things are important to talk about! Sisters have to communicate." She demanded.**

** "Dom, we're not really sisters." I said, a smile gracing my face. **

** "We might as well be." She huffed. "Do you love him?" **

** Her question surprised me. It brought me back to the time in the forest with Al when I had first told him Scorpius and I were seeing each other. He had asked the same question.**

"_**Do you love him?" He asked.**_

"_**I think I could." It wasn't hard to think of loving Scorpius.**_

** "Yes." I whispered. Dominique contained her squeals before grabbing my wrists lightly.**

** "You've got to tell him!" She giggled. I rolled my eyes with a smile. "It's not that simple Dom."**

** "Why shouldn't it be?" She asked, a crinkle forming between her eyebrows. "You love him. He loves you. Nothing in your way!"**

** I looked down, peering up at my best friend through my lashes. "You think he loves me too?" **

** "Rose, have you seen the way he looks at you? He looks at you like you're everything he's ever wanted. There's no way he couldn't love you."**

** I couldn't control myself as I flung my arms around Dominique's shoulders, pulling her into an embrace I felt was long overdue.**

** "Thanks. I'm going to tell him as soon as we go back." She squealed again into my ear.**

**Albus's POV:**

** The knock at my door was soft, hesitant. I almost thought I hadn't really heard it until someone rapped against it again. Stuffing my wand into the back pocket of my jeans and pushing a flop of black hair off my forehead, I crossed the room. I knew my dad would give me grief if he saw where my wand was. He always said if I wasn't careful I would end up charming off my own buttocks. **

** Opening the door, I was surprised to see Hugo standing on the other side. His floppy, rusty colored hair was sticking up in odd directions. He had obviously tried to style it like James's hair again. However on James the style looked cool, effortless, while on Hugo it looked like he had just rolled out of bed.**

** "What brings the little Weasley to my bedroom?" I asked, leaning against the door frame. He peered around my arm anxiously, as if checking to see that no one was in there.**

** "Can I come in?" His voice cracked. Oh, the joys of puberty. I turned and fell onto my bed, waving my hand to allow him entry.**

** He shuffled in, taking his time to shut the door and take a seat at the desk on the left wall. **

** "What's on your mind?" I asked. I could tell something was bothering him. Maybe it was because James was busy and he had no one to look up to. Maybe he was just bored. At school, Hugo managed to get by fairly popularly what with his bloodline and constantly hanging around his older cousin. At home, he probably felt kind of trapped. I know I did. The Potter-Weasley female to men ratio was far too feminine for my liking.**

** "I have a question about my sister." He said finally, snapping me out of my thoughts. **

** "What about Rose?"**

** "She's weird." He sniffed, his nose twitching. Was he coming down with something?**

** "'Course she's weird, everyone knows that." I replied easily, balancing my wand on the top of my knee and watching it wobble to the sides.**

** "No, I mean weirder than usual lately. She doesn't talk to me as much. Did I do something?" Oh man, that made my heart soften a little. The poor little guy had no clue what was going on with Rose and Malfoy. **

** "You didn't do anything, trust me. She's been… busy." **

** "She's always busy. But she always makes time for us too. Haven't you noticed how often she's been away? She was gone from the train for fifteen minutes." **

** "Hugo, this isn't really my secret to tell." I said, wincing. I wondered how far I was allowed to let this go before I had to properly lie to him.**

** "So there's a secret? Why can't I know? I'm good at keeping secrets." He supplied. His freckles stood out harshly against his milky skin, making him seem much younger and naïve than he really was.**

** "She's okay. She's actually really okay." I assured him. **

** "What's going on?" I huffed. He really wasn't going to let this go. I leaned forward very seriously.**

** "What I tell you next does not leave this room, got it? If you let anything slip, I swear to Merlin's grave I will sneak into your room and charm your hair purple." His eyes widened but he nodded.**

** "Alright Hugo, the truth is…"**

**Rose POV:**

** I was always astonished at how many people we could actually fit into a small dining room around the holidays. The magically modified table seemed to disappear down the hallway and I had to crane my neck to see my youngest relatives at the end of the room. Hugo was squished between Louis and Lucy. He kept shooting glances at me, which I returned with a smirk. **

** "Rose, are you going to eat that chicken leg?" James asked through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. He thrust a finger at the remaining food on my plate. **

** "No, I wasn't planning on it." I was halfway through my sentence when the food was swiped from my plate. **

** Dominique hummed happily next to me as we ate. She had seemed rather elated by my confession earlier and wouldn't stop smiling. I had elbowed her more than once during the dinner already.**

** "Dom, what's got you so smiley?" Albus asked. I stiffened in my seat. Al already knew about my relationship but James was oblivious.**

** "Nothing. Rose just loves somebody. A lot." She giggled into her lap. I silently cursed her.**

** "It's me of course. Everyone loves me." Albus supplied quickly at James's cocked eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and shoved a handful of peas into Albus's face.**

** "Boys, no fighting at the table!" Aunt Ginny's voice rang from the other end of the room. I was surprised she never seemed to lose her voice at the amount of yelling she had directed towards her sons over the years.**

** "I'd like to say something." Uncle Harry managed to shout over Aunt Ginny and she settled back into her chair. He stood up at the end of the table, next to Grandma Weasley and across from Granddad Weasley. He looked so much like James, it scared me sometimes. **

** "This year has been a really great one. And I just want to thank the entire family for making everyone's lives so enjoyable. We went through some dark times and we've managed to pull through with the help from each other and wonderful, wonderful children." He beamed.**

** "Here, here!" My dad barked from across the table. Mum swatted him with a smile. **

** "All of you make us so proud with your success at Hogwarts and the way you are kind to everyone you meet." Uncle Harry gestured his glass of firewhiskey to our end of the table, and we ducked our eyes with embarrassed smiles. **

** "To the Potter-Weasley-Lupin family!" Granddad Weasley said, thrusting his glass in the air. We all echoed the same around the table and glasses clinked. I sipped my butterbeer slowly, allowing the sweet taste to fill me up with holiday cheer. **

** "Oi, James!" My dad's voice sounded from across the table. "Met any young women yet?" James glowed red while Albus roared with laughter.**

** "Nah. There are too many pretty girls at Hogwarts to choose from." James waved off the question. Truthfully, he had never actually pursued any one girl at Hogwarts in his life. He was too much of a flirt.**

** "What about you Albus? Hugo?" My dad continued. It seemed he had consumed more than one firewhiskey for the evening which meant no one knew what would come out of his mouth for the continuation of the night.**

** "I'm saving myself for that one special gal, Uncle Ron!" Albus announced, leaning back in his chair and messing his hair up expertly. I rolled my eyes as Dominique threw a biscuit at him.**

** Hugo turned red and shot me another pointed look. I was used to Hugo being an imp at the dinner table, but he was particularly annoying tonight. All his staring was making me uncomfortable. **

** "Hugo, have I got something on my face?" I asked sharply. He jumped in his seat. **

** "No." He mumbled into his lap. He began fiddling with his napkin. **

** "Why've you been staring at me all night? Is there something in my teeth?" I asked again. **

** "No, I need to ask you something." He whined. **

** "Well, ask me."**

** "No, I've got to do it in private." He wouldn't meet my eyes now. I huffed and turned away from him. I'd had enough of my little brother for the night.**

** "Dominique's got a boyfriend, hasn't she?" My dad persisted. Dominique pretended to look embarrassed, fanning her face delicately. **

** "His name's Collin." She beamed. "He's wonderful."**

** "Have you met him yet?" My mum asked Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill. They were in conversation with Victoire and Teddy, but turned to my parents.**

** "E's a handsome boy." Aunt Fleur said in her thick accent. "And 'e has very good manners. Zat is important to our family." **

** Dominique giggled as her parents complimented Collin. I smiled along with her, but felt something in me; a sort of sadness that my parents would never say anything like that about Scorpius. If they ever met him.**

** "What about you, Rose?" Teddy asked, craning his neck to see over the people separating us. His hair was a shocking electric blue as usual. **

** "Oh, um… I haven't been seeing anyone since Robin." I said offhand. I hoped I sounded casual enough. My parents didn't seem to detect the flicker of uneasiness in my voice. **

** "But I thought…" Hugo's voice came from the other end of the table. I snapped my head toward him, his scrunched up expression making my stomach turn. What did Hugo think? **

** "What's that, sweetheart?" My mum asked. Suddenly, Albus glared at Hugo with a look that would have given me nightmares. But my brother didn't seem to notice.**

** "Nothing, I just thought…" He trailed off again. "I thought Rose was seeing somebody." His face matched the color of his hair as he mumbled into his napkin. He knew he had done something wrong, but I was too shocked to feel any anger towards him. My stomach was doing backflips in my body. **

** "Hugo, I haven't even been on any dates since Robin." I said firmly.**

** "No, you went on a date with Finely Thomas two weeks ago didn't you?" James asked. I felt like slamming my head into the table. **

** "Well, yes. But that wasn't really a date. We're not seeing each other or anything."**

** "Is that Dean Thomas's son?" Uncle Harry asked. **

** "Rosie, you didn't tell me you were on a date with Dean's son." My dad said. I groaned. **

** "Because it wasn't anything serious!"**

** "Dean's a good bloke." My dad supplied again. "What's wrong with Finley?" **

** "Nothing!" I insisted. "I'm just not interested in him." **

** "But you've already got a boyfriend. That's why." Hugo finally said. Though his voice was small and didn't carry very far, my family all seemed to have heard him. All eyes were on me. Albus scooted away from the table and grabbed Hugo by the collar of his sweater, dragging him out of the room.**

** "Come on Hugo, we've got to talk." Albus said through gritted teeth as Hugo protested. **

** "Rose?" My mum's voice was soft. "Are you actually seeing someone?" She wasn't mad. That was the great thing about my mum; she was very understanding. **

** "Sort of." I lied. I couldn't meet anyone's eyes. Under the table, Dominique took my hand and squeezed it. **

** "Who?" My dad inquired loudly. **

** "It's just someone from school." I mumbled. **

** "How long have you been seeing him?" Teddy asked. **

** "Not long. It's nothing serious." I lied again. I felt guilty talking about Scorpius like this. It reminded me of the greenhouse at Hogwarts, Albus loudly embarrassing me in front of the school and hurting Scorpius. I had gained Al's trust and approval. Couldn't I gain the rest of my family's trust too?**

** "If you all must know," I said harshly. "It's Scorpius Malfoy. Talk about it as much as you please behind my back." I yanked my hand out of Dominique's grasp and abruptly left the room, leaving my family in stunned silence.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

I pulled my jacket tighter to my body as a particularly chilly gust of wind blew through the back yard. The swing beneath me was enchanted to lazily blow back and forth, unaffected by the windy breeze. It was placed in the garden of the burrow long ago for the entertainment of the many children coming and going with the Potter-Weasley family. To this day, the swing allowed for a good place to sit and think. And I had much to think about.

My family hadn't followed me when I left the table, though I did hear muffled shouting through the door once I had stormed outside from my dad. Dominique hadn't come out either and I guessed she was trying to calm down my family. She was always the peacekeeper when Albus and I would get into childhood fights. Now, it seemed nothing had changed.

I heard the backdoor shut noisily and the sound of boots paving their way through the snow covered terrain. I didn't look up to see who it was, but felt them take a seat next to me on the swing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lily asked. I was slightly surprised she had come out to see me. Lily was one of my best friends and most trusted cousins, but throughout the school year I didn't see much of her. Her long red hair was braided and capped by a white beanie that had caught snowflakes from the breeze.

"There's not much to talk about." I said quietly, toeing the ground with my own boots.

"I didn't know you were dating Scorpius." Lily began. "But I knew you had to be dating someone. You always looked happy at school." I couldn't help but smile. Scorpius really had changed parts of me for the better.

"He's one of the best people I've met." I said truthfully. I trusted Lily to listen and not judge. She was, after all, the most understanding fourteen year old I had ever met.

"I don't care that he's a Malfoy." She said, taking my hand in hers. "I care that you're happy. And I think the rest of the family will warm up to it soon."

"You really think my dad will accept him? He nearly died just hearing his name." I couldn't control the bitterness in my voice. I had been worried about my dad's reaction for months and now I was faced with it.

"Uncle Ron may take more time than the others…" She trailed off. I glanced at her and saw she was smiling. "But he can't stay mad at you forever. You're his daughter."

"You're right. I know you're right." I said firmly.

"Will you come back inside?" She asked hopefully. I bit my lip as the wind blew again. A stray gnome scuttled out of the bushes and shook its head dizzily. I watched the little creature with feigned interest as I weighed my options.

"I'm not coming back to dinner, but I'm coming inside. It's bloody freezing out here." I stood up from the swing, Lily following. We trudged across the garden and the gnome followed before stopping at a patch of weeds and burrowing into the ground. I almost wished I could join it.

At the door, I turned and pulled Lily into a long overdue hug. "Thanks, Lils. For everything."

I kicked off my boots once inside and quietly dashed through the sitting room to the staircase. I didn't want to be called back to the dinner table and have to face my family after my outburst. My dad's grumbling was impossible to ignore as I passed the door to the kitchen and headed up the stairs, skipping over the steps that creaked.

On the first landing, I could hear Albus's voice through his bedroom door. He was most likely reprimanding Hugo for his mistake at the dinner table and I quietly padded my way to his door. I pressed my ear against the wood and heard Al more clearly.

"I told you not to tell anyone! And what do you do, Hugo? You blurt it out in front of the entire bloody family! Merlin, you're impossible!" He hissed. I could only imagine Hugo's look of shame and I felt a little guilty. Even though he had severely messed things up for me, he was still my baby brother. I knocked lightly on the door.

Albus answered it, his hair sticking up in an obvious display of frustration. He didn't say anything when he saw me, but opened the door wider to let me in. I sat on the bed, away from Hugo.

"You should apologize to your sister." Al grumbled at Hugo. Hugo turned to me, his face white as a sheet.

"Rosie…" He started. He couldn't seem to find the words. I placed my hand over his and he relaxed.

"It's okay. I'm not angry. I was, but there's nothing I can really do about it now." I assured him. Hugo's shoulders drooped considerably.

"I didn't know it was that big of a deal." He mumbled. He sounded like he was speaking into a pillow.

"Well, it shouldn't be. Maybe you did me a favor, Hugo. Now I don't have to tell the family myself." I smiled at him, and he laughed shakily.

"What are you going to do now, Rose?" Albus asked. He was sitting in the chair at his desk, wobbling back on the legs dangerously.

"I'm going to have to talk to them. I guess I'll start with my mum…" I trailed off. There was a lot of explaining to do. I felt a headache coming on and pressed my fist to my temple. There was another knock on the door, and Albus stood up with obvious annoyance.

"This isn't the sitting room, there's only so much space in here…" He grumbled as he opened the door to reveal Dominique's face. Her cheeks radiated a brilliant pink glow, which could only mean she was more than a little flustered.

"The family wants to talk to you, Rose." She said, pushing past Albus at the doorway and taking a seat on the bed. She sat down so quickly, Hugo almost fell off.

"I really don't feel like having a heated discussion with my parents about my boyfriend choices." I huffed. Dom's expression softened.

"I think you may actually want to consider what they're going to say." She began to braid her hair— a nervous habit of hers— and I reluctantly stood up from the bed.

"I'll go with you." Hugo piped up. He scrambled after me and out the door, grabbing my hand in the hallway. He hadn't done that since he was seven years old and was too afraid to walk around the house in the dark alone. "I'm the reason you're in trouble."

I didn't know what to say but I squeezed his hand in mine and we made our way down the creaky stairs. I could hear the voices of my family overlapping over one another the closer we got. Outside the door, I smoothed Hugo's hair back nervously. He didn't even make to swat my hand away. Together, we entered the dining room.

My mum and dad both had steaming mugs of tea in front of them. My dad's face was a disconcerting shade of purple. Uncle Harry was fiddling nervously with his fingers. The rest of the family were clearing the table and trying to exit the room. Grandma Weasley herded them out with an impressive stack of plates taller than her head could see over and winked at me as she left.

"Sit down, sweethearts." My mum said. Hugo and I took seats across from our parents. We didn't let go of each other's hands.

"We want you to know Rose, we're sorry at how we pressured you into telling us about Scorpius." She said softly. I was surprised at the use of his first name. My dad and uncle shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"And we want you to understand that we're trying to process the idea of him being part of your life." She continued. I hid all expression from my face, trying to focus on her eyes. She was telling the truth.

"We don't want you getting hurt." Uncle Harry said. He sounded tired as he ran his hand through his hair. _Like father like son_, I thought.

"I'm not going to get hurt." I said firmly.

"You don't know that, Rose." My dad finally said. I could tell he was trying to keep his voice even. "This boy's father was one of the most hurtful people at Hogwarts in our day."

"I know that. That's all you've ever taught us to know about the Malfoys. You turned us against them before we even had a chance to properly meet them." I argued.

"Because we didn't want you to feel stuck in the same situation!" My dad half-shouted.

"Ron!" My mum scolded him. His shoulders tensed but he grabbed his cup of tea and was silent.

"Rose," My mum reached for my hand across the table. I let her take it. "You're such a smart girl. You're so strong too. I know you know how to make the right choices. So, I'm going to support you in this. But we do have one request."

I didn't say anything. I just nodded.

"We want to meet him. Properly, that is. We were thinking we could have him over before the break ends." She suggested. I was confused. I really couldn't picture Scorpius sitting at this table.

"He's gone home for Christmas, though. I'm not sure he'd be able to come here…" I trailed off as my dad audibly scoffed. My mum shot him a glare.

"Write to him? Ask him if he can come for only a few hours. We'll have the floo network open for him."

"I'll ask him. But if he comes here, I want him to be treated the same as anyone. Please." I directed this towards my dad. He met my eyes.

"Your dad and I promise to be open to him." Uncle Harry said. I smiled for the first time since sitting down. "Thank you."

Scorpius's POV:

It was always drafty in the manor. Despite the many fire places lit in several of the rooms in the house I knew so well, there always seemed to be a chill hanging around me as I walked down the hallways. I set my suitcases down on the black marble and barely noticed as two or three house elves scuttled out of various rooms to lug my bags up the stairs. I used to laugh at them when I was younger, but now I felt sort of sorry for them. I had a lot of crap in my bags this year.

I didn't know where I should go; who I should see. Neither of my parents had come to the train station to greet me. One of our servants did, a nameless face who side-along apparated us to the snow covered grounds of my house. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, walking aimlessly. My shoes tapped on the shiny floor.

"Scorpius?" I heard my mother's voice from the top of the stairs. She appeared with her dark hair piled into curls on top of her head. The skirts of her dark cloak billowed around her feet as she gracefully descended the stairs. I smiled at her warmly as she pulled me into an embrace.

"It's good to see you, darling." She said. She pulled away to look at me. "You've grown."

"Come now, mother." I said with a half smirk. Her eyes seemed so far away as she babbled on about life around the manor. She always liked talking to me, my mum, but I don't think she ever really put much thought into the words she was saying.

We ended up in our dining room where house elves were lighting candles and setting the table for dinner. Our two dogs were lazily sitting by the fire place. Upon the entrance of my mother, they trotted to her side and nuzzled their heads in her lap when she sat down. I sat down across from her, feeling unusually awkward. She was still talking, now about the ministry. I nodded in all the right places to keep up my illusion of interest. Really, all I wanted to do was go up to my room and sleep.

My father entered the room then, a tall, blonde figure in a black suit and robes. I stiffened at seeing him and automatically smiled. I stood and met him with a firm handshake, something he had taught me was essential to a successful life at a young age. I never greeted my father without a handshake from then on. He nodded at me with his eyes that scared me and impressed me.

"Scorpius. You look good, son." He said. There was no emotion to his voice. He took his seat at the head of the table, the house elves immediately rushing to bring out bowls of savory stews and steaming dishes. A servant filled our glasses and set out silverware while my father placed his hand over my mother's.

Once the dinner was set, the house elves and servants left. My father served himself and my mother and I waited for him to begin eating to serve ourselves. This was another Malfoy mannerism I had learned to abide by in my childhood.

"How was the ministry today, Draco?" My mother asked.

"Dreadful. The minister has been calling on me right and left to attend to issues in the departments. Sloppy workers, careless assistants…" Their conversation blurred as I tuned out. I quietly ate my soup and wondered, not for the first time since the rest of the train ride home, what Rose was doing.

I imagined her and her scarily big family sitting around a fireplace, laughing. For some reason, I couldn't get the idea of about a dozen red-headed children running around a house. That was stupid though. I knew Rose didn't have any relatives that young anymore. We had already talked about our respective families. While she had several cousins, aunts and uncles to mention, I only had my mother and father, both of whom were staring at me in the present.

I cleared my throat. "Sorry, did I miss something?"

My father raised his eyebrows. "We asked you how your term was this past school year, Scorpius. Do try to pay attention." I refused to let myself redden at his answer, although my face was dying to bloom with heat. I thought of Rose and the way she shamelessly blushed at anything and everything.

"It was good. I've been learning a lot." I said blandly.

"We noticed your grades have been rising considerably since the past years, Scorpius." My mother said, a small smile on her face. "We're very proud of you." I couldn't bear to tell them it was all due to my girlfriend. They didn't even know about Rose.

"How has Quidditch been going?" My father asked. He didn't even look at me as he cut his dinner.

"It's alright. We won to Ravenclaw but lost to Gryffindor." My parents didn't say anything. Neither of them really cared about how I did with Quidditch. My father did play on the Slytherin team when he went to Hogwarts, though he showed little interest in my playing. He had only come out to a few games in the five years I had been playing. He used to take me to professional Quidditch games when I was younger, but he stopped once I started school.

"Would you like to be excused, dear?" My mother asked. I looked down at my plate which was surprisingly empty.

"Yes. I'm really tired and I'd like to unpack. May I be excused?" My father nodded at me shortly, and I pushed my chair away from the table. The house elves scurried to the table, clearing my dishes in a matter of seconds.

I heard my parents talking about business and neighbors as I climbed the stairs to my room which was on the second floor. The house elves had kept it considerably clean while I was gone. I closed the door behind me and flopped down on my bed. My suitcases were leaned against my closets. I could have asked the house elves to unpack them for me, but I felt like doing it myself. At the moment, I didn't feel like doing much else but leaving the manor. It reminded me too much of boring, lonely summers and stern talks with my father.

He had taught me a lot growing up. I looked up to him like crazy. He taught me how to ride a broomstick and bought me my first beater's bat. He taught me respect and manners and took me to important ministry parties to sharpen those skills at a young age. He was there when I bought my wand. He even bought me my first owl. I named it Ebony, I remembered. It died before I could go to Hogwarts but by that time, my father didn't think it was important to have an owl of my own.

I was lying on my bed, twirling my wand around my fingers when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in!" I called. It had to be a house elf. My parents never knocked on my door personally. I sat up to see I was right as one of our elves, Binny, entered with a letter in his hand. He bowed deeply, the tip of his nose touching the floor and the letter extended towards me.

"For you, Master Scorpius." He squeaked.

"Thanks, Binny. You can leave now." I said, rubbing my eyes and taking the letter. He gazed up at me with big, brown eyes. They almost reminded me of Rose's eyes but to be honest, Binny's eyes were a little freaky.

I broke the seal of the letter with my thumb, not bothering to see the stamp. The letter fell out of the thick envelope and I was surprised, but really glad to see Rose's long, curly handwriting all over the parchment.

Scorpius,

My family knows. They found out at dinner (I'll explain how in person) and they want to invite you over for Christmas Eve dinner here with us. I understand if you have to eat with your parents that night, but try to come? My mum and dad are actually willing to meet you. I want to see you.

Love, Rose.

Bloody hell. As soon as I read the first few words, my stomach had promptly started doing backflips. How the hell did Rose's family find out so soon? I was betting every galleon in my bank account that one of her cousins had let it slip. Albus came to mind first, but then again, he had been something of a help to our relationship in the past few weeks.

"Shit." I swore to myself. I never used foul language in front of my parents. Mainly because my mother would faint and my father would give me a look of deepest disappointment. Now, I felt like a choice word was needed for the situation at hand. I messed up my hair nervously and re-read the letter.

I was probably over analyzing it, but Rose had signed the letter with "love". This made me nervous too, but in a different way. And she wanted to see me. I got up and paced my room. My parents and I had a tradition of dining together, but on the actual night of Christmas.

_"Lucky me."_ I thought. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to see Rose badly. I already felt my happy attitude lately slipping away into the dark walls of the manor. I was more apprehensive about her family.

I had to meet them though, didn't I? They already knew. And for some weird reason, they actually wanted to meet me. Properly. I exhaled sharply and returned to my bed.

"Binny!" I called. The elf appeared in a loud crack that made me jump in the middle of my room. He still had an apron tied around his usual pillowcase that he wore.

"Master Scorpius called, and Binny answers!" He squeaked again. He bowed so deeply, he nearly toppled over. I almost laughed; he was endearingly clumsy.

"I need to write a letter. But I can't have my parents know I'm sending it. And I'll be away on Christmas Eve." I explained. Binny nodded, his ears flapping around. He disappeared and reappeared, this time with a piece of parchment and a quill.

"Oh, I could have gotten a quill from my bag—" I started. However, Binny was already posed with the quill to the parchment. He gazed up at me, waiting for words.

"Um, start it with 'Dear Rose,'" I began. I felt awkward giving him directions to write for me. I knew he would throw something of a fit if I didn't let him however.

I took a long time to get my stupid, fumbling words in my head to come out right on paper. When the letter was finally done, Binny disappeared to attach it to one of the family owls and didn't come back. I almost missed him.

That night, as another house elf tended to the fireplace in my bedroom, I pretended to be asleep. I kept thinking about meeting Rose's family. What the hell would I say to them? I would have to be careful about my social skills. Of course, they already probably thought I was an arse-hole to begin with.

I had to tell my parents I was leaving, too. They most likely wouldn't care. I couldn't tell them I was going to the Weasley's however. Not only would they forbid me from going, but they would both die from shame.

This was going to be an interesting holiday.

**A/N: Helloooo guys! I wrote an apology about my infrequent updates on the chapter updates on my main page but I'm not sure how many people actually read it. Please do read it! I update it to let you guys know what's being written! Anyway, I'm sooooo sorry for leaving this story un-updated for months and months :( I've been drowning in three AP classes and dance practices and I promise you I have not given up on this story! It makes me so happy writing it and I actually have so many ideas planned! I'm so excited :D The holiday season is coming up soon so feeling very generous and jolly I'm going to try and update very frequently this December! I love all of you and please leave a review to motivate me! ;)**

**~yours in eternity, Amy **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

Scorpius's POV:

I sighed deeply as I stood in front of the fire place in my bedroom. I had already hugged my mum goodbye, and shaken my father's hand firmly with the explanation that I was spending Christmas Eve dinner at Hayden's house. I knew my parents wouldn't question it, and they wouldn't go checking up on Hayden's family either because they sort of detested them

I reached into the little pot on the mantle of silvery-grey powder— floo powder. My wand tightened in my hand as I heaved in another gasp of air. Was the oxygen running out of this room or something? My fist seemed to act against my mind as it flung the powder into the fire place, causing giant, leaping green flames to erupt from the dead embers. I shuffled forward, ducking awkwardly to fit in my fireplace.

My knees were bent uncomfortably and my head was leaned forward so I wouldn't get a concussion from bumping it against the bricks. I felt utterly ridiculous and tucked in my elbows.

"The Burrow." I said clearly, repeating the strange name Rose had written out for me on her latest letter. She had even given me instructions on how to pronounce it, as if I would need help. The thought brought a smile to my lips but it was soon lost as I began to spin impossibly fast. I made sure not to open my mouth and resisted shutting my eyes against the green flames and smoke. Sitting rooms blurred by my eyes as I waited for the Burrow to appear and finally, I was spit out onto a faded rug.

I quickly scrambled up from my hands and knees, brushing the soot off my clothes. I was surrounded by squashy couches and armchairs with mismatched quilts and pillows draped over the seats. Little hallways led off to various rooms and a clock adorned the mantel piece of the fireplace I had just come from with so many hands on it, it was hard to tell what time it was. Upon closer inspection, I realized the hands all had little faces on them of Rose's family.

I heard footsteps coming down a hallway and froze. I realized there were voices all around the house and I remembered that I was actually in the Burrow. I was in Potter-Weasley territory more than I ever had been before. My heart began thumping faster in my chest and I mentally scolded it. I wasn't supposed to get scared at the idea of being in my girlfriend's house.

Rose suddenly came around the corner, a piece of her brilliant red hair twisted around her finger with the other hand holding up a battered looking paperback romance novel. The title read The Moonlight Mystery. I resisted rolling my eyes.

"Rose." I said as she almost passed by me completely. She was too absorbed in her book. She looked up and the book was promptly dropped to the ground and I was knocked backward as she wrapped her arms around me.

Rose's POV:

Scorpius smelled just like he did at Hogwarts. He held me just as tightly. I buried my face in his shoulder and laughed. It felt so good to see him.

"Merlin, woman. It's only been a week!" He teased, pulling back. I examined his face. His hair had actually gotten longer and I ran my fingers through the silvery blonde locks.

"It's been a long week." I corrected. He flashed a grin.

"Ahem." I spun in Scorpius's arms which dropped from my sides upon the sight of my dad in the doorway, looking very rigid.

"I'll round up the rest of the family." My dad said in a voice that sounded very strained to be polite. He shuffled away and I turned to look at Scorpius who was tapping his foot nervously.

"Scorp, calm down." I said with a laugh. I took his hand and he relaxed only slightly.

"Rosie, your dad's face was purple."

"It'll go back to normal in a bit, once he gets used to you." I pressed.

He opened his mouth to say something— no doubt a witty comeback— but was interrupted when Albus and Dominique strolled into the living room with knowing smiles on their faces.

"Uncle Ron is getting the family ready." Dominique said, looking pleased. She giggled at Scorpius's look of sheer terror and bounced onto a couch.

"Good to see you, Malfoy." Albus said not all that stiffly. He raised a hand awkwardly, as if to clap Scorpius on the shoulder or shake his hand, but lowered it. I guess they were still getting over the years where they had slightly resented each other. Both of them turned their respective attentions to the ceiling or the floor. I rolled my eyes and led the way out of the sitting room to the kitchen, knowing they would both follow me.

In the kitchen, the entire family seemed to be assembling with various family members pushed up against the cabinets or the windows that were gradually filling up with snow. My parents stood front and center with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny on either side of them. The rest of the family took up guard behind them with my cousins and Hugo flanking the sides. James looked tense and I noticed his jaw was twitching like it did after a rough Quidditch game. Lily and Hugo looked utterly bored while my other cousins who I didn't spend as much time with looked confused. Scorpius and Albus appeared next to me as the family chatter died down and Scorpius seized up yet again.

"Rose, why don't you introduce Scorpius to everyone?" My mum asked politely. She broke away from what had started to look like a mob of Potters and Weasleys and approached Scorpius and I. She reached out her hand to shake his and he swallowed audibly as his face relaxed again and I saw him pump his hand in a way that I'm sure his father had taught him: firmly and professionally.

"This is Scorpius Malfoy." I said and Scorpius blushed. My mum yanked my dad forward and he too shook Scorpius's hand, his grip looking tighter than what was necessary.

"Alright, you lot. It's too stuffy in here, let's spread out!" Albus announced from the corner. He came to stand by me and Scorpius as my mum led my fuming father away and the family dispersed. Grandma Weasley remained in the kitchen, beginning to cook what would be the largest Christmas Eve feast I had ever seen.

"I'm off to find Fred. Him and James are supposed to be sneaking sneezing powder into Teddy's underpants." Al quickly hurried off with a wink in my direction over his shoulder. Dominique flashed a smile at Scorpius and myself as she trotted out of the room. Scorpius and I were completely alone.

"Er…" He trailed off, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. He looked flustered.

"You did well." I assured him. "Considering the entire family was in here watching us. I would have fainted." He chuckled and brought his hand down to slip it into mine. I led him out of the kitchen and to the stairs.

Scorpius winced as the third step up creaked and I breathily laughed. His grip tightened as we made our way to the third landing where the room Dominique and I shared waited. Once inside, I let go of Scorpius's hand and sat on the bed, pulling a pillow into my lap.

He awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. He quickly scanned the room, which was plain apart from the many female artefacts scattering the shelves and surfaces of the desk and nightstand. Dom and I had shared the same room in the Burrow for the sixteen years we had come and gone. Dominique's posters of popular bands were pinned onto the floral wallpaper with my romance novels cluttering the room.

"You look like Filch just walked in on you having a bath." I teased from where I sat. I was rather enjoying Scorpius's shyness, only because it came so rarely. His shoulders relaxed as he sighed followed by him laughing nervously.

"Rose, I'm in a girl's bedroom. And more importantly than that, I'm in _your_ bedroom. And you happen to be my girlfriend." He pressed.

"Very observing of you." I continued to mock him. He laughed again, a smirk finding its way comfortably onto his face. He crossed the room, standing in front of me on the bed.

"Tease all you want." He laughed. "I've never done this before."

My eyebrows rose. I didn't know what had caused me to think Scorpius had been in situations like this before. He always seemed so confident in himself, so sure of his every action.

"You mean you've never…" I trailed off. He grasped at what I was implying and brought a hand to his hair. His familiar mannerisms made him seem more like himself now that he wasn't surrounded by my family and I felt a flutter in my stomach. He was really here.

"I've um…" He looked uncomfortable again, though the smile didn't leave his face. "I've done things before. Things I'm not completely proud of."

I felt my heart stutter, but I knew it was silly to feel jealous. I had known Scorpius's answer before he said it. It was obvious that he had been with other girls before me in more… intimate relationships. I looked down to avoid the bloom on my cheeks from spreading. He kneeled down and took the pillow from my lap.

"Rose, I've been with other girls before. I'll admit to that. But I'm not kidding when I say you're the only girl it's ever felt real with." He took my hands and I met his eyes.

"Those other girls were attempts at what we have." He assured me. I smiled, rubbing my thumb against the back of his hand. He leaned in to kiss me softly, his lips gentle on mine. I stood up from the bed, not breaking our kiss and wrapping my arms around his neck as his hands found their place on my waist. I let my hands wander through his hair, along his jawline, resting on his cheek.

"Ahem." Albus cleared his throat from the doorway. I broke away from Scorpius to glare at Al. He easily stared back, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"I only came to tell you two it's time for dinner. But, if you think you'd rather be eating each other's faces instead of food…" He was cut off as I chucked a pillow at him and he dodged it.

"You might want to ditch the bedroom anyway. Uncle Ron was about to storm up here himself. You can thank me later." He winked again and strolled down the hall, whistling. Bastard.

Scorpius's arms winded around my waist again and he pressed another kiss to my lips.

"Rose! If you aren't down here in two minutes, Uncle Ron has sworn to tear your dreamboat boyfriend limb from limb!" James shouted from the bottom of the stairs. I heard Fred's laughter chiming in with James's voice and my Aunt Ginny scolding them. Scorpius leaned his head into my shoulder, laughing. I felt his smile against my skin and I couldn't help but laugh with him. Snogging Scorpius had been a lot easier when we weren't surrounded by other people. But it was something I would have to get used to with my relationship no longer a secret.

"Molly, you outdid yourself." My mum chimed from her seat at the dining table. My dad sat in a slight stupor next to her, a hand on his stomach and his empty plate sitting in front of him. Uncle Harry mirrored him along with several of the others at the table.

Grandma Weasley had indeed created a dinner only slightly smaller than a Hogwarts feast. Only moments before, the table had been laden down with bowls of stews and soups, platters of roast and other delicacies. There was even a Christmas pudding with sugared Roses and a little Santa Clause enchanted to skate over the top of the cake, who had already completed a series of impressive spins and a figure eight.

"Scorpius, what is Christmas dinner like with your family?" My mum asked politely. She had thankfully been a very comforting presence for Scorpius, sparking conversations and calming down my dad if he became too tense. My other cousins and Teddy particularly were also interested in Scorpius and he had considerably relaxed at the table since the beginning of the evening. He had eaten everything on his plate, which was more than I usually saw him eat in a week at Hogwarts.

"Um, well it's just my mum and father and I." He started, adjusting himself in his seat. "The house elves usually do the cooking and we talk about work and our day…" He trailed off. "We exchange presents in the evening."

"You don't have any family over at all?" Louis, Dominique's younger brother piped up from his seat at the far end of the table, squished between Molly and Lucy, daughters of my Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey.

"No, um, my father and mother didn't have any siblings." Scorpius replied. His eyes flickered around the table at my various aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings. I could never imagine my life without the overflowing family that came with it. I pictured Scorpius's quiet dinner with only his parents and placed my hand over his discreetly. His expression didn't change, but his fingers laced through mine.

The talk around the table continued as everyone finished second and third helpings of everything and the plates and glasses were finally cleared. Scorpius and I excused ourselves from the table, standing in the corner of the kitchen waiting for Al and Dominique. Dishes flew through the air to the sink where Grandma Weasley's scrubbing brush was attending to the silverware, soapy water sloshing out of the side of the sink.

Albus came stumbling over to us with Dom following him gracefully.

"You two fancy a Quidditch match?" Al asked excitedly. "James is rounding up two teams."

"Yeah, of course." Scorpius said, a gleam in his eyes. I could practically see the Quidditch tactics rushing through his brain as he followed Albus out the back door of the kitchen to the garden and makeshift Quidditch pitch.

Next to me, Dominique huffed.

"Boys!"

Five minutes later found me and Dom sitting under the biggest tree in the garden with mugs of tea and gloves and scarves. Scorpius had borrowed Albus's old broom while Al showed off his fantastic new Christmas present— A Firebolt 2000. James was setting up equipment around the yard, placing muggle balls they had stolen from the village in the grass.

The team captains were of course, James and Albus. Next to James, Hugo stood proudly with an old beat up broom that was once my dad's and Fred stood on his other side. Scorpius stood next to Albus along with Roxanne, Fred's sister.

James and Albus shook hands with James looking very serious and Albus very silly as he bowed deeply with much twirling of his hands. He barked out a laugh as James elbowed him in the stomach and the two teams split the field, mounting their brooms. Scorpius shot me a glance with a smirk before kicking off the ground to hover on Albus's right while Roxanne flanked his left.

"Alright!" James shouted. He stationed himself in front of the middle wooden hoop with Hugo struggling to stay on his broom next to him and Fred looking amused. My hands were itching to pull Hugo down from the air, considering he wasn't very good at Quidditch and he was bound to get hurt. However, Hugo steadied himself and sneaked a look at James's face to mirror his confident expression.

"You lot know the rules! We only play with Chasers and Keepers! Louis will throw the ball up and the first Chaser to catch it has possession! First team to fifty points wins!" At the sound of his name, Louis scrambled to the middle of the field from his position by the bushes and threw the muggle football into the air.

The game was intense. It was almost as if all the players thought they were really playing for the success of their respective House Quidditch teams. Roxanne managed to snag the ball first, flying in loops around Hugo and Fred. Scorpius followed her, catching the ball when she tossed it to him and chucking it at James, who caught it expertly. Playing continued with points scored here and there. Albus was a good keeper, but James was the best of the best at Hogwarts. He nearly caught everything that was thrown at him. Whenever the ball dropped out of the sky, Louis was there to toss it back up, and playing commenced.

It was half an hour later when fifty points were finally scored for James's team. Fred whooped and hollered as he flew straight into James and knocked him through the goal post, both laughing like idiots as they sailed to the ground. Hugo floated uneasily to the frozen grass, running over to join them. Scorpius high-fived Albus and Roxanne as they returned to the ground and trooped over to us.

"It's bloody freezing, I'm getting something to drink." Roxanne announced, tossing her broom next to me and Dom. Fred and Hugo followed her while James came to shake Scorpius's hand.

"You played well, Malfoy." He said with a slight smile. "I'll have to watch out for you when we next play Slytherin."

"Wait till you see me with a Beater's bat." Scorpius replied with a smirk.

"Want a go at the brooms, ladies?" Albus asked, turning to me and Dom. Dominique looked annoyed as she was now leaning under the tree, wrapped in a blanket she had brought for herself.

"Come on Rose, you're not bad at flying." Scorpius said, reaching for my hand and pulling me to my feet.

"Scorp, no." I mumbled. I remembered when he had taught me how to fly, and it had felt exhilarating. But it was also the scariest moment of my life.

"Since when do you fly Rosie?" James asked.

"Since I taught her how, and she's good. She's just denying it!" Scorpius teased. He pulled me to the middle of the field, my several protestations ignored by both James and Albus as they curiously watched.

Scorpius handed me the broom he had been using and reminded me how to mount it properly. My fingers felt stiff with the cold and I pulled my gloves off.

"Now, kick off and I'll join you up there. Okay?" He didn't wait for an answer as he went to pick up the broom Fred had been busing and kicked off the ground in a matter of seconds.

"Remember, you're kicking Robin's face!" He shouted from the air. I felt a smile grow on my face and kicked off hard, wobbling slightly once I was airborne. A whoop of excitement came from Albus and I turned my head to see him and James were clapping. Dom was even smiling brilliantly at me from her seat by the tree. I turned back to Scorpius, who was now eye level with me.

"Can someone throw up the ball?" He asked. Al jogged to the middle of the pit to toss the ball up and Scorpius caught it with one hand. He handed it to me, and I uneasily took it with fumbling fingers as I tried to stay steady with only my right hand on the broom.

Scorpius soared back to the goal posts and steadied himself in front of the middle.

"Alright, try to get it past me!" He said happily.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. Wasn't it enough that I had gotten off the ground?

"Come on, Rosie!" Al yelled from the ground. I wanted to shoot him a glare that would shut him up, but I was now too scared to turn my head.

"I'll go easy on you, I promise!" Scorpius added with a wink. I bit my lip and slowly eased the broom forward. My hearth thudded with every inch it crept towards the goal post.

I was close enough to throw it now. Scorpius was waiting patiently, a smile on his face. James, Al, and Dominique were shouting words of encouragement from the grass. I lifted the ball in my hand, aimed and shot—

Scorpius reached for it, but miraculously it sailed over his head and barely through the hoop on the left. My mouth dropped in surprise as he raced down to the ground to retrieve the ball. I almost forgot how to get off the broom, and shakily returned to the ground, tumbling onto the grass.

"Great job, Rosie! You're a natural! You're better than James!" Albus yelled. He picked me up against my shouts as James exclaimed "Oi!".

Scorpius came strutting over, the broom over his shoulder and the ball under the crook of his other hand. He set the equipment gently down on the grass and came to join Albus and I.

"You say you taught her how to fly?" James asked. Scorpius nodded.

"She only needed the technique, she's got natural ability in her." My face flooded with red again.

"Of course she does!" Al exclaimed. "She's a Weasley!"

"Hey you lot!" Teddy poked his head around the door from the kitchen, his bright blue hair a contrast against the dull grey of the winter around us. "Molly's made hot chocolate and there won't be much left if you're out here freezing your arses off!"

We began to collect the equipment as James carefully took the brooms and balls back to a store cupboard in Granddad Weasley's shed of muggle items. Al swung Dominique over his shoulder and carried her kicking and shrieking into the house. Scorpius and I were again, mercifully alone.

"You did great." He said, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.

"It was a lucky shot." I mumbled, still in disbelief at my success.

"How am I doing with the family?" He asked. I chuckled at his worried expression.

"Good. Great. James might want to marry you by the end of the school year." I laughed.

"I just don't want to give them a reason to kick my arse once we're back at school and your mum isn't there to protect me."

"I wouldn't let them hurt you. Now that they know, I'm allowed to do this whenever I want." I leaned in to kiss him.

"I could get used to that." He mumbled when he pulled away. "I've really loved seeing you. Home is depressing."

"Then don't go home." I whispered and smiled against his lips. "I don't want you to leave."

"I love you, Rose."

I pulled back sharply, my hands pressed against his chest. His expression was nervous, waiting for my response. I couldn't fathom why he would think I wouldn't return his feelings. It was obvious I was already completely his, wasn't it?

"I wanted to say that first." I said, unable to keep the smile on my lips from growing. He let out a breath and laughed.

"You had me worried for a minute." He pulled me into a hug.

"I love you." I whispered next to his ear. I tilted his face to mine to kiss him again. "I love you."

"Hot chocolate, Rose!" Albus shouted from inside the house. "Hotter than that little love fest you're having out there!"

"I'm going to murder him." I muttered, reluctantly pulling myself out of Scorpius's embrace and angrily trekking over the flowers and clumps of greenery on the garden path with Scorpius chuckling at my heels.

I stood by the stove in the sink, helping myself to hot chocolate from the giant pot. Scorpius's hands found my waist from behind me and James laughed loudly as kissy noises were made, no doubt by Al.

"I hate him." I grumbled.

"But you love me." Scorpius gleefully teased, ducking to press a kiss to my cheek and preparing himself a mug of hot chocolate as I prepared to face Albus's playful taunting. If it meant I could be with Scorpius openly, I would gladly accept every remark him and the rest of Hogwarts had in them.

**A/N: Helloo everyone! I want to start off the new year with a new chapter and thanks to anyone who's ever followed, favorited, or reviewed my story! It means so much to me that people enjoy my writing as it's a huge passion of mine! I hope this chapter makes up for my absence. I had the worst case of writer's block and I discovered that listening to All Time Low really helps to get the creative juices flowing! ;) I would also like to happily announce that a sequel will be coming your way and if you guys want I'll reveal the title of the sequel in the next chapter! That means I officially have everything for this story planned out! I'm very excited :D love you all! Please review and enjoy!**

**-yours in eternity (or Amy) xx**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

Rose's POV:

"James Potter, if you crash your trolley into platform 10 again just to 'see what happens' you'll be grounded for all of summer vacation!" Aunt Ginny's voice strained to be heard over the babble surrounding us in Kings Cross Station as wizards and muggles alike hurried with trolleys and luggage to their respective trains.

I watched, amused, as James scrambled on top of Fred's trolley to sit with their suitcases and two owl cages whose inhabitants hooted indignantly. Fred waited until the muggles nearby were paying no more attention to the unusual birds we carried and broke into a run towards the brick partition separating platforms 9 and 10. He and James disappeared and Al rolled his trolley next to mine as the next wave of Potter Weasleys prepared to enter Platform 9¾.

"Remember the first year we had to do this?" He asked with a grin on his face. I remembered all too well being terrified to run headlong into a brick wall at only ten years old when we were seeing James off for his first year at Hogwarts. My dad had finally gone with me and once exiting, we had bumped into a family of wizards and had caused quite the ruckus.

"Rose, Dom, Al, why don't you three go together?" Grandma Weasley shouted over the heads of our parents, aunts and uncles and Dominique appeared next to us, her suitcases perfectly stacked on the trolley she pushed. Al adjusted his ferret's cage before we casually rolled our trolleys to the platform and pretended to be talking amongst ourselves as we slowly disappeared from the station and onto the Hogwarts platform.

The platform was completely packed with many classmates I recognized reaching for their friends and family while owls hooted and cats hissed in cages all over. We found James talking to Teddy in what looked like a private conversation while Fred lugged the suitcases from their trolley onto the train.

"What's up Teddy?" Al asked. Teddy turned to us, his face blushing slightly.

"I've got news. I'm waiting until the family is all here. Have you seen your sister?" He turned to Dominique.

"Vic said she was going to help Louis make sure everything was packed." She answered breathlessly. She wasn't paying much attention to us as she scanned the platform for Colin, whom she hadn't been able to stop talking about all morning.

I felt bad for not immediately searching for Scorpius, but we had seen each other over break and had continued to write since he left on Christmas Eve. I figured he was mostly likely with his parents now, and I couldn't imagine walking up to Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy and introducing myself as his girlfriend.

"There they are now!" Al announced as the rest of our family made their way to us. The crowds parted around them as if there was a magical shield surrounding the Potter-Weasleys while several people whispered excitedly and pointed discreetly, mostly at my Uncle Harry.

"The train's about to board, why haven't you loaded your suitcases yet?" Uncle Harry asked. He looked at Teddy who was now bouncing on his heels. Victoire came trailing after Louis, and was immediately brought to Teddy's side. She, too, was glowing.

"We have news. I realize it's last minute and not the best place to break it, but I didn't want to have to tell anyone by letter." Teddy seemed to be having great difficulty in keeping the words from spilling out any faster.

"We're pregnant!" Victoire shouted happily from Teddy's side. In seconds, the family had huddled around Teddy and Victoire while congratulatory handshakes and hugs were exchanged. Even Dominique paused her search for Colin and fought her way to her sister to give her a hug.

The scarlet steam engine blew smoke into the air and a whistle sounded. The happy gathering broke apart with promises to write and more shouts of congratulations while we exchanged hurried goodbyes and boarded the train minutes before it chugged along the train tracks, leaving the platform behind.

"I'm off to find Colin! I have to tell him the good news; I'll meet up with you later." Dom squealed. She promptly gave Albus her two suitcases and he buckled under the weight as she disappeared down the length of the train.

"Great girl, Dom. But she needs to start understanding I am not her personal butler." Al grumbled. I laughed as I dragged my suitcase along next to him and we searched for an empty compartment.

Boarding the train so late made it difficult to find seats that were not already filled by various Hogwarts students. Al was struggling to keep the luggage aloft without dropping anything as we passed a group of seventh years blocking the hall. They grumbled as Al passed and one shouted out in pain when a suitcase dragged across his toe. Only a few minutes later, Al was still shouting back at him in annoyance.

"Go cry to Madam Pomfrey if it hurts so much and bother someone else!"

"Al!" I reprimanded him.

"Sounds like you could use some help." A male voice spoke up from the doorway of the compartment next to us. Scorpius was lounging in the doorframe with a smirk on his face. He seemed amused at Albus's struggle but all the same ducked down to pick up one of the suitcases Al had dropped in his rage and adjusted it in his arms.

"Merlin, this is heavy." Scorpius huffed as he led our procession down the hall. Al grunted his agreement as we finally came across a mercifully empty compartment and stowed the suitcases in the luggage racks at the top. Al collapsed into the seat nearest the window dramatically.

"Thank you for helping us." I said happily, wrapping my arms around Scorpius's neck. He kissed me lightly and I couldn't help smiling as Albus made retching noises in the background.

"I appreciate the help too, Malfoy. But I hope you're not expecting a kiss from me out of that." Al spoke up from his seat.

"Good thing I got over that crush on you years ago then, Potter." Scorpius shot back with a smirk. I was overwhelmed by how alike they were. How had they been enemies for years?

We settled into the seats, joined by James and Fred. The latter had brought his Exploding Snap card pack and Al was dangerously close to unsettling the board and causing the cards to explode everywhere when Hugo poked his head in through the door.

"Rosie!" He exclaimed. Startled, Al dropped the card he had been about to place on the board and the entire game went off like a firecracker. Hugo looked like he was trying to contain laughter while James blatantly rolled on the floor of the compartment howling as Al scrambled to collect the cards.

"Sorry, it's just Finley Thomas is looking for you. He came to my compartment asking if I'd seen you and I thought it wasn't a good idea to tell him where you were…" He trailed off. Next to me, Scorpius scoffed in disbelief.

"He's still trying after you've turned him down what— three times?" He asked. Al stuffed the cards forcefully back into their pack while he glanced at Scorpius with an expression of mingled amusement.

"He almost dueled me when I told him you weren't interested Rose. I guess he didn't believe me." I groaned.

"Hugo, please make sure he doesn't come down here." I said. I was tired of making excuses with Finley. Now, I wouldn't have to seeing as my relationship with Scorpius was becoming public. Still, trying to explain that to Finley was something I didn't want to face in a cramped compartment with my overly-protective family backing me up.

Hugo nodded quickly before shutting the door, which James locked, and then running down the train.

"How are you two going to make your grand debut anyway?" Al asked as he settled himself back into his seat.

"I say you march right up to the front of the entire entrance hall and snog right there." Fred joked. I winced at the idea of the entire school finding out in such a dramatic fashion and James chucked a chocolate frog at Fred.

"No one is snogging anybody." He said pointedly, glaring at Scorpius. Scorp met his gaze, and it seemed they had come to a she's-my-cousin-and-you're-not-hurting-her agreement. "Just let people find out on their own."

The door of the compartment slid open once again to reveal Dominique with Colin trailing after her. "Let people find what out?" She asked.

"That door was locked, how did you get in?" James asked as he scooted over to accommodate seating for Dom and Colin, who looked confused at the sight of Scorpius leaning against my legs on the floor.

"You actually think a locked door could keep me out?" Dom huffed. She whipped her blonde hair over her shoulder importantly.

Colin was still eyeing Scorpius as he scanned the rest of the compartment. However, he didn't say anything or gasp in surprise as I had assumed he would in my head. I met Dominique's eye and silently asked her a question.

"Oh, Colin knows. I told him just now." She replied matter-of-factly. Colin stopped staring at the sound of his name and looked to his lap. Dom tangled her fingers with his and smiled brightly as if the atmosphere didn't have an air of awkwardness in it.

The conversation continued easily while the train traveled closer and closer to Hogwarts. The familiar countryside passing by the windows let us know when we had only an hour left before we arrived. And somehow, after a debate of professional Quidditch teams between the boys, the conversation had returned to mine and Scorpius's relationship.

Fred elaborately described the idea of me and Scorpius zooming through the Great Hall on broomsticks while setting off fireworks, and once again, snogging for the entire school to see. This had left Scorpius and Colin in fits of laughter while I rolled my eyes and Dominique swatted at Fred. James, however, only looked annoyed.

"Rose, the best thing you can do is just let things run their course. If people have anything to say about it and they want to bother you, they can come to me." He sat up straighter as if daring someone to come barreling up to him and demand a duel.

"Who made you the love expert?" Fred complained. Dom giggled at that.

"Come on James, you haven't ever actually romanced one girl have you?" Albus challenged with a wide grin on his face.

"I'll have you know, I've been writing to someone all break and we're meant to go on a date the first Hogsmeade weekend back." James retorted. That caught my attention. James on a date?

James had never had trouble with girls. Ever since his third year at Hogwarts, when he had properly hit his growth spurt and had started to fill out more from Quidditch, he had been able to sweep just about any girl off her unsuspecting feet. He had successfully flirted with girls from each House, but as long as I could remember, he had never actually been interested enough to pursue one girl.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"Lacey Jordan." He answered easily.

"As in the Lacey Jordan we've known since first year?" Colin asked.

Lacey was the daughter of a family friend. The idea that her and James could possibly be dating was almost absurd, but then again, I suppose the fact that Scorpius was currently seated next to me with an arm draped over my shoulder made Lacey and James seem logical.

"The very same. She's a sweet girl, and she likes Quidditch. Plus, she's got amazing curves." James added. I rolled my eyes again as the sky outside darkened signaling that Hogwarts was only minutes away.

I straightened my red and gold tie nervously, tugging at my collar and pressing down my skirt. Dom stood next to me, fiddling with her own robes which had somehow gotten tangled with her long, blond braid. James, Albus and Fred had left only minutes before, stating they were going to find Hugo and Lily and make sure they were situated in the carriages. Scorpius had left with a hurried goodbye kiss to walk off the train with Hayden, who had been looking for him the duration of the train ride.

I was faced with a feeling in my stomach that told me even though it had been hard to bring Scorpius into my family's acceptance, it would be even harder to change the minds of the several hundred students that attended Hogwarts. After all, the Potter-Weasley versus Malfoy rift had built up a solid reputation amongst the other students. Anyone who was anyone knew that our family's relationships were anything but friendly. Until now, that is.

"Rose, you look like you've just walked straight through the Bloody Baron." Dom tutted from next to me. "Relax."

"I am relaxed." I pressed, my voice wobbling slightly. I sighed. This was going to be hard.

We left the compartment, leaving our luggage on the racks above for the Hogwarts staff to take care of and traipsed down the length of the train, milling in with other students near the exits. I spotted Scorpius with Hayden, not far ahead of us on the Hogsmeade train station. Scorpius looked annoyed, as usual, as Hayden gestured wildly with his hands. He was obviously telling a story riveting to only his own ears and swept a hand grandly to his right, only to come in contact with a girl's chest. She screeched like an owl while he shot a shit-eating grin. I rolled my eyes in disgust right as Scorpius shoved Hayden's hands out of the air.

Almost as if he knew I was watching him, Scorpius turned while Hayden had stopped to chat up another red-headed Slytherin girl who looked less than impressed by him. Scorp gave me a knowing smile and jabbed a thumb at Hayden while rolling his eyes. I giggled at him while Dom pulled me sideways— she had found Colin again in the swarm of Hogwarts students— and I was left with the image of Scorpius's smile burned in my mind.

It seemed everyone in Hogwarts had had quite the struggle in adjusting to early morning classes after the long, winter break. It had taken five minutes to get Dominique out of her bed and Albus had mistakenly spread peanut butter over his own hand rather than a slice of toast at breakfast.

The castle itself felt sleepy, with a winter chill still clinging to the stone walls while fires burned in classrooms, attempting to battle the frosty atmosphere. I reluctantly left my almost-finished hot chocolate with my plate at the Gryffindor table as Dom and I left for Potions. My bag felt heavier on my shoulder as I had acquired two new books for the new classes I would be taking this semester.

"Did you see Finley was staring at you?" Dom asked breathlessly. Once recovered from her morning stupor, she had become oddly chipper and had been babbling at the table all morning.

"Was he?" I asked. I had been trying to avoid Finley ever since we had gotten off the train, skirting around him in the common room and sitting far down the table from him. It appeared my efforts were fruitless.

"I've asked Colin to tell Finely to back off, politely of course, but he says Finley is kind of hard to talk to lately, and— oh!"

I looked up from the schedule in my hand at Dom's intake of breath. She was smiling far too brightly and I saw Scorpius was standing only a few feet away. He came striding over, a nervous smile on his face.

"I don't know if I'm mentally prepared to work with Hayden in Potions just yet." He began when he arrived. Students bustled around us, heading every which way to their respective classes, and in the middle of it all, Scorpius entwined his fingers with mine and pressed a kiss to my hair. I blushed furiously.

We continued walking normally to Potions while Dominique picked up talking where she had left off. Scorpius listened politely and I tried to nod in the right spots as I scanned my classmate's faces for their reactions.

Mostly everyone looked overcome with varying degrees of shock. A blond girl tugged on her friend's sleeve and pointed blatantly at mine and Scorpius's joined hands. A Hufflepuff nearly tripped over his own feet doing a double take. Other students were less obvious, whispering to their groups of friends and some smirking, as if they had predicted this would happen. Which was ridiculous, of course. Scorpius and I dating would soon be the talk of the entire school, and I didn't know how I felt about it.

However, I knew how I felt about him. And while we waited patiently out the door of the Potions class room and he brushed his thumb along the back of my hand, I knew I would take all the whispering and pointing any day as long as I got to stand next to him.

A quiet moment alone with Scorpius was much needed after we had survived a day full of gawking students.

Scorp had taken it upon himself to be by my side throughout the morning and had even sat with my family at lunchtime. Reactions had been varied throughout the day, from whispers following my back in the corridors to my personal favorite, a Gryffindor first year who dropped his books and stared with an open mouth as Scorpius and I kissed before separating for class.

"What are you thinking about?" He called from above. Scorpius was perched on his broomstick, hovering a few feet above me. We had come out to the Quidditch pitch in order for him to practice for an important game to come— Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The team that won this game would advance to the final match against Ravenclaw for the Quidditch cup. Therefore, Scorpius took his practicing very seriously while we exchanged comfortable banter and I scanned notes on new material from the first day back.

"I'm thinking about us." I said as I felt Scorpius hover closer.

"What about us?" He asked, and I heard him laugh. Looking up, I almost jumped back in surprise. Scorpius was only inches away from me, a grin on his face.

"I'm thinking that it's too hard to study when you're floating around asking me questions." I teased. He bravely took a hand off the broom and grabbed one of my papers, perusing it. I sat back and watched him, admiring the way the setting sun was casting shadows on his face and golden beams against his hair.

"Ah, I think I see the root of your studying problem." He said nonchalantly. I imagined him cradling a pipe between his lips with a monocle perched in his eye as he attempted to sound intelligent.

"And what is that?"

"It seems you've been doodling hearts in the margins of your papers." He said, his eyebrows arching comically. I snatched my paper away from him.

"I have not!"

"Could be in invisible ink." He added, both hands now back on the broom.

"Or it could be that I haven't doodled anything. I'm not like you."

"Perhaps, but even if you're not like myself, you do _like_ like me."

"_Like_ like you? What are we, first years?" I asked incredulously while suppressing giggles. Scorpius landed gracefully on the grass, discarding his broom to the side.

"Just poking fun, Rosie." He grinned again.

"What's got you so cheerful?" I asked. Scorpius most always had a positive attitude and found no trouble in making me smile, but tonight he was oddly giddy. He snuck an arm around my waist.

"It felt good to be with you in front of everyone." He said, the silliness previously in his voice fading. He had a serious look on his face, but his eyes were sparkling.

"I know." I agreed, leaning into him. "I hope everything works out from here on."

"I don't know about that. We seem to attract trouble." He piped up. I huffed while he laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy."

"I never know what I'm talking about, Weasley." He nudged me lightly, starting to get up from the ground.

"Want to help me practice?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I glanced nervously at his broom and beater's bat lying a few feet away. Sighing, I got to my feet. I had never been good at refusing Scorpius anyway and it felt too good to be with him to say no.

In the days to come, Scorpius and I would grow more used to showing affection in front of our classmates. They would also grow accustomed to us as a couple, which surprised me. However, I dared not complain. I was too happy to be with Scorpius, my family supporting me. It seemed nothing could go wrong. But as Scorpius said, trouble seemed to find our relationship. I could only hope things would be smooth sailing for us.

"Don't worry about it." Scorpius said when I had voiced my worries to him one afternoon at lunch. He had taken to a permanent residence at the Gryffindor table for lunch and breakfast.

"It just seems like things are too easy." I mumbled.

"You and I are never easy. That's why we work out so well." He replied. He placed a hand over mine.

"I love you." He said. We had also grown used to those three words; three words I cherished every time I heard them.

"Love you, too." I said, smiling.

"Please!" Albus groaned from across us. "People are trying to eat here!"

Smack.

"Ouch! Don't hit me, woman!" Al yelped, rubbing his head as Dominique turned back to her salad and Charms book, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Merlin… if you two don't attract trouble, then I'm Hagrid!" He scowled.

**A/N: Helloo! I would love to say I have a better reason for a month long wait other than writer's block and school, but I don't :( I realize this chapter is a little short and not much happened in it, but it_ is _an important part of the story since everyone knows about Rose and Scorpius now :) After this chapter, there are only 5 chapters left before Unexpected is completely done! Or at least, that's how I'm planning it. So now I can reveal to you all that the sequel will be titled "Unbreakable" :D That's all I'm going to tell you apart from yes, the sequel is a for sure thing. Let me know what you think will happen or what you thought about this chapter or the story so far! Love you all and thank you so much to anyone who has ever reviewed, favorited or followed my story :')**

**Yours in eternity, Amy xx **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

A brighter blue sky revealed itself the morning of the Quidditch match. It had been weeks, and what felt like months, of dreary grey skies and light, misty rain. The past weather did little to lift the spirits of the students in the castle, including myself, who were eagerly looking forward to the last few months of term and then a glorious summer vacation around the corner.

Therefore, the vast expanse of blue broken only by light clouds that hung lazily in the ceiling of the great hall was a welcome sight indeed when the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams trooped into the hall for an early breakfast, accompanied by myself and Lily.

"Bloody fantastic Quidditch conditions." James announced happily, pounding his fist on the table and rattling his plate of eggs and toast.

"Team, I couldn't be prouder." He continued, as if the beautiful weather was the result of his own doing. "I couldn't be prouder of all of you and the hard work we've been contributing to the honorable game of Quidditch."

"Hear, hear!" Albus chimed, raising his mug of tea. At once, the rest of the Gryffindor team thrust their various glasses and mugs into the air with shouts of excitement. I glanced at Lily who was stifling giggles at her two older brothers.

"Rosie, I hope your loyalties still sit with Gryffindor today." James addressed me. A blush crept onto my cheeks.

"Of course they do. I always cheer for Gryffindor!"

James nodded nonchalantly. "Just make sure you keep the cheering for Malfoy down to a minimum. We need all the support we can get!" He had a crazed look in his eyes. I was sure if I could pry into his thoughts at the moment, I would see broomsticks and Quaffles flying by.

"Relax, Jamsie." Al said through bites of toast. "Rose would never betray us for Slytherin."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." James snapped, though he sent a smile and a wink my way.

The school had begun to wake up with a few students finding their way to early breakfasts. The house tables were vibrant with color as everyone sported either red and gold or silver and green. This match was an important one. The team that won would advance to the finals against Ravenclaw for the Quidditch cup.

James had been the Quidditch captain since his fifth year and each year, he had brought home the shiny golden trophy and honor to Gryffindor's name. This year, his last, meant it was his final chance to win again. Even though the odds were very much in Gryffindor's favor, the Slytherin team this year had proved to be strong. I knew the confident front James put up was more necessary than ever this morning, as he needed to be absolutely sure of Gryffindor's chances and his own success.

I glanced over at Scorpius, wedged between Hayden and an Asian girl with short, dark hair in green and silver robes. He was picking at his breakfast, laughing at something Hayden had just said. Almost as if he knew I was watching him, he turned his head toward me.

Raising his eyebrows, he smirked. I smiled back at him and turned back to my family. I would talk to Scorpius later, before the match. I was pretty sure I didn't want to insult James's pride by sitting with the Slytherin team only minutes before an important game.

"Lacey!" James had shouted next to me. During my silent exchange with Scorpius, Lacey Jordan had appeared next to us. Her Gryffindor scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck and golden snitch earrings sparkled through her mass of black, curly hair.

"I have money on this game today." She announced, squeezing herself next to James. "Four galleons that Gryffindor wins by a landslide."

"Did you bet on me?" James asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I had noticed a change in James around Lacey where he became even more of a big goof than he usually was.

"Let's just pray that you don't fall through the hoop again trying to do figure eights." She said, the corner of her mouth twitching up as James's face dropped slightly.

"Dammit, that was one time! And I did not fall off my broom, I only wobbled."

"Yeah," Al chimed in, now laughing. "You wobbled all the way down to the ground." One of James's eggs came in contact with Al's cheek, silencing him for the rest of breakfast.

Ten minutes later, James rounded up the team as they left the great hall to shouts and cheers from our table. The Slytherin team left not long after, pumping fists in the air as their house mates hissed and cheered. It seemed that once the teams were gone, the tensions rose dramatically. Galleons glinted in the morning light as bets were made between houses and a buzz of long awaited activity hung around us all as we finally left for the Quidditch pitch.

"Does it get confusing?' Lily asked breathlessly next to me as we fought our way to the front of the Gryffindor student section, a spot the Potter-Weasleys had owned since mine and Albus's first year.

"Does what get confusing?"

"Rooting for Scorpius. Would you be happy if Slytherin won?"

I shook my head quickly. "Happy for Scorpius, of course. But Gryffindor is my house in the end. I would never betray it."

"What are we talking about? Betray Gryffindor?" Hugo squeezed between two particularly large seventh years to join me and Lily. His face was painted half red, half gold. He had at least five Gryffindor scarves draped around him like a bizarre toga.

"Nothing, Hugo what are you wearing?" I refrained from laughing and reached out to adjust a scarf dangling off his shoulder.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor, of course! This is an important game!" He yanked his scarves around him importantly.

"That it is, Hugo." Lacey appeared on my side, unwrapping her scarf from her neck. "It's bloody hot. You can add this to your collection, if you like." Hugo took her scarf with an embarrassed smile and carefully arranged it around his shoulders.

"How're you feeling about this game?" She asked, a smile lighting up her face. She leaned against the railing eagerly.

"Pretty confident. James and Albus have been working really hard. I almost never see them in the common room anymore." I answered.

"Roxanne's never been busier." Fred commented as he sidled into our group. "Mum's been bothering me to get her to write. But there's no tearing her away from her broomstick."

"Any idea how Slytherin is feeling?" Lacey asked. I barely registered that her question was directed at me as she waited expectantly for an answer.

"Oh, um, Scorpius has been practicing a lot. But we don't talk about Quidditch much." I blushed more with every word. Lacey smirked.

"It's good you two got together. The Malfoy kid is a good bloke." She smiled warmly.

"You've met him?" I asked. I was surprised, as Lacey was a popular Gryffindor and very loyal to her house. She had also been a good family friend for years, and she knew more than anyone how deeply the Malfoy rivalry had gotten.

"I've never spoken to him. But from what I've heard, he's alright. You must like him a lot, or James would never have been okay with it." She laughed.

"James told you about him?" I asked.

"You've been seeing James?" Hugo piped up. He was sweating under the warmth of his many scarves. The paint on his face had begun to melt down his cheeks. Lacey blushed.

"Around school, yeah." She answered easily, despite the glow on her cheeks. "Does he ever talk about me?" She laughed again. Fred smirked.

"Once in a while your name comes up."

"And what does he say?"

"That you're dead good at a Bat-Bogey Hex and he wouldn't want to cross you in a bad mood." Fred winked.

"Then he's smarter than I give him credit for." Lacey shot back, now smiling. "Look the match is starting!"

Indeed, the two teams clad in red and green were huddled in the middle of the field now. The applause around us was tumultuous as James and the Slytherin captain shook hands. In seconds the teams were airborne and the fight between Gryffindor and Slytherin began.

Scorpius's POV:

Hayden hadn't shut up since breakfast began. Apparently over break, he had attended a professional Quidditch match with his parents and had picked up what he considered a few "smooth moves" from the match. Only minutes before we left the tent, he still continued to drawl about flight patterns and techniques. I couldn't have cared less and thought I had made it somewhat clear after yelling at him to bugger off twice.

Now, in the air, he was amazingly still glued to my side. I was heavily tempted to give him a good thump on the back of the head with my bat, but I was sure I would get a few nasty looks from Madame Hooch.

"Scorp, make sure you try out that shift with the currents I was telling you about. I saw Morgriffin turn corners like you wouldn't believe—"

"Hayden! Don't you have something more important to do than talk Scorpius's ear off? Handle the Quaffle for once!" Kent, our captain, streaked by on his broomstick, Quaffle under his arm, and quickly tossed it to Hayden who mercifully caught it and finally flew away.

I immediately immersed myself into the game. The pre-talk of the match had washed over me; the pep talk Kent had given us in the tent went straight through one ear and out the other. If there was anything I wasn't good at, it was listening to lectures. Rose could vouch for me.

However, once I was in the sky, my head was finally in the right spot. I flew easily to a bludger deflected off one of the Gryffindor beater's bats. It came in contact with my bat with a satisfying crunch and whizzed off to my intended target, the Gryffindor chaser. They dropped the Quaffle to avoid my bludger and it was promptly picked up by Kent, who aimed for the middle goal post.

James Potter seemed to come out of nowhere, blocking the Quaffle with his shoulder and sending it falling back to the ground where it came into possession of a Gryffindor chaser. I swore under my breath and crossed the pitch as the Gryffindor stands cheered below.

If I had wanted to, I could have easily picked out Rose. Her trademark red hair was deeper than her cousins' and brother's and she was always standing at the front of the Gryffindor stands. I knew I had to stay focused, and resisted from looking for Rose. I did spot Dominique's unmistakable blonde locks, standing next to Colin Finnegan and jumping up and down with excitiement.

"Alright, Malfoy?" Albus Potter yelled from a few feet above me. I resisted the urge to smirk.

"Just fine, Potter. And you?" I yelled back, deflecting a bludger as it came my way and smiling when it scattered the Gryffindor chasers' formation.

"Feeling great. Come to our post-match celebration, will you? He was laughing now. "Six-thirty in the Gryffindor common room!"

"Only if you'll come to ours!" I shouted back before flying off. Lately, Potter and I had kept up a mutual respect for each other harboring on what some might call a friendship. Myself being the git I was used to being found it too difficult to really call Potter a "friend" even though his company was usually more enjoyable than Hayden's; the latter of whom was now flying straight for me.

"Hayden, you do realize there's a game going on?" I shouted at him. My bat tightened in my fist.

"We're up by twenty points, we'll be fine." He waved a hand at me.

"Piss off, go handle the Quaffle or something." I muttered.

"Listen, Scorp," He started, barely listening to me. I ignored him and made to cut around his right to cover the opposite end of the pitch where my fellow Slytherin beater was trying to find a way to scatter the Gryffindor chasers again. Hayden, however, blocked me.

"I don't like that smug look on Potter's face." He grunted.

"Which one?"

"Both of them." He narrowed his eyes. "It's about time someone showed the Potters they're not in—"

"Malfoy! DeMoine! If you two don't get the hell away from each other and start playing the bloody game, you can kiss that uniform goodbye!" Kent roared from below. He dashed after the Gryffindor chasers, who were again in possession of the Quaffle and coming dangerously close to topping our lead.

I took off, leaving Hayden far behind, and aimed a bludger flying near the goal posts toward the red and gold players. I pumped my fist in the air when the Gryffindor chaser fumbled the Quaffle, leaving Kent just enough time to steal it and shoot a goal past James Potter's outstretched fingers.

"Slytherin scores again! They lead Gryffindor ninety to sixty!" The announcer, a nameless student, cheered into the magical microphone. I soared around the pitch, ready to fire the bludgers at any unsuspecting Gryffindor in my way when there was a collective gasp in the stadium. Turning my head up, I could just see our seeker, Elena, streaking after Albus Potter who had his arm outstretched. Within inches of his fingers was a small, whizzing golden ball.

I couldn't watch and swore as the crowd chanted the names of each seeker and then— a sickening thumping sound and immediate screams from the students.

Albus Potter seemed to fall in slow motion, his broom hovering uselessly above him. I only had time to register the Gryffindor chasers who shot toward him as he fell, hoping to catch him and the horrified faces of each student. In the Gryffindor section, I could see Rose, hands over her mouth and eyes wide.

And then I saw Hayden, a beaters bat in hand that didn't belong to him only a few feet above Albus's broom which was slowly drifting away. He was looking straight at me, the grin on his face growing with each second. If I hadn't slightly hated Hayden before, I did now.

The chasers had tried their best, but they couldn't catch up to Albus's momentum as he finally hit the grass hard. He was definitely unconscious but there was a flutter of movement in his hand. Unbelievably, his fist uncurled to reveal the snitch's golden wings lazily beating against his palm.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Gryffindor wins 210 points to 90 points." The announcer solemnly spoke into his microphone. It was a crushing defeat for Slytherin. We would not be advancing to the final match for the Quidditch cup, but even that didn't seem to matter to many of the students who were now in an uproar.

Gryffindors poured onto the field and I dived down to meet my team. James Potter was charging toward Hayden who was tossing the beaters bat in his hand. Potter threw a punch and they both fell to the ground, now fighting wildly. I heard the Professors running to the scene, yelling and firing sparks into the air. No one paid them any attention as everyone was milling around the younger Potter's fallen body. I pushed through the crowd blindly, knowing I had to find Rose.

Albus lay utterly still. No one wanted to touch him for fear of damaging his body further than we could already see. Blood was pouring down the right side of his face and plastering his hair to his cheek. His arm was bent at an awkward angle and his face, though unmoving, was screwed up in pain.

"Give him room!" Fred Weasley shouted. He fought his way to the center where Albus lay and quickly met my eyes. Understanding at once, I ducked down to loop an arm under Albus's right shoulder, Fred supporting his left. Slowly, we pulled him up from the ground.

He was obviously in no shape to be carrying himself, but the fight was becoming more ferocious and we had to get him to the hospital wing. I could hear voices shouting at James and Hayden to stop. A desperate cry from what I assumed was a girl's voice sounded above all others and the sounds of scuffling stopped. I ignored the fight, only focusing on my task at hand. And that was to get Albus Potter to the hospital wing before he could be further injured, and to completely destroy Hayden after.

"Scorpius!" Rose called from behind me. I turned my head to see her running after us, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

"Go round up your family. Have them all meet us in the hospital wing. We'll get him there safely, I promise." I told her seriously. Rose was in no mental state to be accompanying us right now, and the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan needed to be by Albus's side when he woke up.

An hour had passed since Fred and I had deposited Albus in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey, fiercer more than ever in her old age, shooed us away immediately.

"When will the teachers learn that they won't have any students left if they allow them to fly with enchanted bone-breakers!" She shrieked as she magicked Albus onto a bed and drew the screens with her wand. She seemed angered by my Quidditch uniform, as if the game was completely my idea, and I left Fred at Albus's side while Madam Pomfrey worked her magic.

I wandered over to the hardback wooden chairs by the entrance of the hospital wing and sat down, staring out the window. The sky was still a brilliant blue, completely clear of clouds. The beautiful weather seemed like an insult to the dark mood that had quickly spread over the students after the game.

Within minutes, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was pouring into the hospital wing, tracking dirt on the polished marble floor and huddling around Albus's bed. He was completely blocked from view. A few of the team members shot me dirty looks upon noticing my green and silver robes. However, Roxanne Weasley turned them away from me with a steely glare at her team members.

I felt like I almost deserved the harsh treatment, considering I was wearing Slytherin robes. And our house had definitely been shamed today all due to Hayden. I felt my blood boil as I thought of the smirk on his face, and my knuckles turned white as I coiled my hands into fists. I quickly rose from the chair and pushed the wooden doors open, hoping no one would care enough to notice I had left.

I slumped down against the stone wall across the doors from the hospital wing. My padding was too tight and I was eager to get rid of my smelly robes and jump into a shower. However, I felt like I needed to know that Potter was going to wake up before I made any other moves.

"Scorpius?" A soft voice came from my right. Without having to look, I knew it was Rose. Her voice was so familiar to me, it was almost as if I sensed her before I saw her.

I remembered once thinking Rose had never looked more beautiful than when she was crying about Robin fucking Hemming (as I preferred to call him). However, at the moment she looked like a mess. Her hair was mussed up at her roots as if she had been tugging at it and her eyes were rimmed with red, tear tracks stained on her cheeks.

"Is he…" She trailed off, sniffling. She wound her arms around her own little waist like she needed protection from any news concerning her cousin. "Is he alright?"

I stood up, crossing the hall to her quickly and pulled her against me. Her body seemed to fit into mine like I was made to hold her and she broke down immediately. I didn't care that her tears were getting all over my uniform. I only smoothed her hair flat as gently as possible and rested my chin on top of her head, glad for the significant height difference between us.

"I felt like I didn't belong in there. I was going to wait for news out here." I mumbled. She sniffed again and pulled away from my chest only slightly to look me in the eyes.

"You're the one that carried him off. You deserve to be in there." Her voice was stronger now. I smirked slightly at the light in her eyes that never died down.

"You go in. I'll come back soon, I'm going to change out of these smelly things." She bit her lip, but leaned up on her toes to kiss my cheek and slipped out of our embrace to enter the hospital wing. I barely saw her join the team around Potter's bed before the doors swung shut and I headed down the hall.

Half an hour later in fresh clothes, I found myself waiting outside the doors to the hospital again. I stared dumbly at them, my hands in my pockets.

"_Doors don't open by themselves you know_" a nagging voice in my head teased.

"I know." I grumbled to myself. I felt completely stupid standing in the middle of the hallway but for some reason, I felt that the hallway and the hospital wing were two very different places and I wouldn't be welcome in there.

"Know what?" Another female voice spoke up from behind me. I almost jumped and whipping around, I saw Lacey Jordan.

"Erm— nothing." I mumbled. She looked nervous as she tugged at her tight curls.

"Are you going in?" She asked pointedly. I nodded stupidly and finally pushed against the doors. She followed me as I walked inside,probably wondering why it had taken me so long to do so.

The majority of the Gryffindor team was gone, the family left behind. Rose, Fred, Lily and Roxanne were gathered on one side of Potter's bed. Dominique, Hugo, two redheads and a younger boy that looked like Dominique took up the seats on the other side. This didn't make me feel any less uncomfortable, but Rose looked up from her chair and waved me over.

"Where's James?" Lacey asked. I felt my face turn in confusion as I realized the eldest Potter was not at Albus's bedside.

"He's been over there for a while. He won't talk to anyone." Dominique answered in a hushed voice. She pointed at the corner by the medicine cabinets where James Potter sat in a chair, staring out the window.

Lacey briefly put a hand over Albus's before crossing the room to James' side. We all watched silently as she bent down in front of him and began talking in whispers.

"He'll be alright. She's good for him." Fred said with a tired voice. "She keeps him grounded." Lily nodded while hiccuping in agreement. We all turned our attention back to Albus.

There was little color in his face, though some pink was coming back to his cheeks. A helmet of bandages wrapped around his head, concealing the cut on his temple. His arm looked straight again and his face, once contorted with pain, looked relaxed. I almost wished I had seen Madame Pomfrey work her magic as the Albus on the bed now was dramatically different than the one lying broken on the field.

"When will he wake up?" The pale, blonde and freckled boy who looked like Dominique spoke up. He was leaning his face on his hand, supported by his elbow. His eyebrows were screwed together.

"We don't know, Louis." Dominique tutted.

"He'll wake up soon." Rose added. "I'm sure of it. He's strong and he's never been one for naps." A collective murmur of something like laughter rippled among the group and then died out at the sound of a cry from the corner.

James Potter was leaning against Lacey Jordan, now on her knees and supporting him like a child. She seemed to be shushing him as he breathed heavily.

"It's not your fault." She mouthed over and over again. "It's not your fault. It's not."

"…James…" A cracked, feeble voice sounded from the bed. All heads again turned to Albus. His eyes were open, though barely, and he looked confused. I didn't blame him. If I had taken a bludger to the head, I'm sure it would have felt something like wrestling through Arithmancy runes, only worse.

"Al!" Rose shrieked. She made to throw herself against him, but then thought better of it.

"Why's James…" He paused to yawn. Then he blinked and his eyes fluttered open all the way.

"Did we win?"

"Four broken ribs, a concussion and a sprained arm and you're wondering if Gryffindor _won the match_?" Lily Potter bellowed from her chair. For such a small person, her voice did not match. "We almost thought you were dead! Never scare us like that again!"

Albus blinked at her stupidly. "I'll make an effort not to in the future." A lazy smile found its way onto his face. "I only want to know if I dreamed catching the snitch and then celebrating with some particularly _stunning_ veela afterward—"

"You did." I said, surprising even myself. "Catch the snitch that is. You weren't in the best shape to be partying with veela as far as I can remember." Albus looked at me like I might be joking, but I held a steady gaze. The sheets rustled against my knuckles as Rose found my hand with hers.

"Too bad. I was really getting along well with one of them." He made to sit up more, but winced and fell back against the sheets. Hands fluttered over him from his family.

"I'm fine!" He insisted as Dominique called over Madame Pomfrey. "I just got up too quickly."

"You're far from 'fine', Mr. Potter!" Madame Pomfrey shrieked from above me. "You'll be staying overnight until you have been fully rested and healed!"

"When will I be able to leave?" Albus asked incredulously.

"You heard what she said, Al." James Potter seemed to have recollected himself and was now standing at the end of Albus's bed. Lacey stood a few feet back from him, staring at him with a fierce sort of admiration I hadn't seen many people display. "You won't be leaving until Madame Pomfrey assures _me_ that you're fit to play."

"But James! The Quidditch Cup match is in a week! We've got training!" Albus pleaded from his bed.

"I won't have my seeker and my brother playing unless he's in perfect health." James stated again. He patted Albus's leg with a softer face. "I'm positive you'll be playing. There's no better seeker in the school."

"James… you know it wasn't your fault." Albus said in a serious voice. Probably the most serious I had ever heard him. James' face was blank.

"I'm the captain. It's my job to make sure everything on the field is running smoothly."

"It's Hayden's fault." I spoke up again. "He's an arse and he's jealous. I never actually thought he would do something like that, but now I know how insane he really is."

Rose squeezed my hand slightly and the rest of the family murmured their agreement. Amazingly, none of them seemed very upset with me despite the fact that Hayden was, or used to be, my best mate. He had nearly killed Albus, and it was unforgivable.

Madame Pomfrey shooed us out of the hospital wing when the clock signaled it was dinner time and we were meant to be in the great hall. Albus watched us go with a sad, lonely look on his face. Rose assured him she would bring him dinner from the hall and we headed down the hallway together.

"I'm going to murder Hayden with my fork tonight." I grumbled.

"Scorpius, don't say that." Rose chided. I glanced at her, noticing her hair was more curly today, possibly because she had been running her hands through it in stress all afternoon. Her eyes were brighter as well.

"I'm serious. I don't know why I've put up with him when he's capable of the stupidest things."

"Isn't he your best friend?" She asked. We stopped in the hallway, alone for a moment as the rest of the school made their way to dinner.

"I'm not sure anymore." I said, staring at the wall above her head. "No. He isn't."

"I never liked him very much, but I know you two have been friends for years." She seemed to be trying very hard not to let the hatred seep into her words, but it did anyway. I didn't mind. Hayden deserved it.

"I never liked him either." I assured her, quirking a smile. She giggled and we continued down the hall.

"I love you. Thank you for helping him today." She pressed a kiss to my mouth at the doors to the Great Hall before sitting with her family at the Gryffindor table. I wished I could join them at the sight of Hayden sitting at the Slytherin table. He was, of course, sitting alone. No one on the team was congratulating him as he had probably suspected.

"You and Potter are a thing now, huh?" He asked in a snarky tone as I sat across from him.

"Rose is a Weasley, not a Potter." I replied, angered beyond belief. My fists were clenched tightly in my lap.

"I wasn't talking about her. You helped Albus Potter off the field." I glanced up at him.

"You're a demented git." I said, struggling against the urge to strangle him then and there.

"Has Weasley turned you into her bitch?" He teased. "She'll be carrying you around in a little purse next, training you to bark at anyone that touches her and her rotten family."

"You don't get to talk about Rose." I half shouted. Some of the other Slytherins were looking at me now, but I didn't care. "Or any of them, for that matter. Stay away from them, definitely stay away from her, and stay the hell away from me." I stood up and left the table, unable to even look at Hayden's stupid evil smirk.

Passing the Gryffindor table, I saw that Rose's place was empty. She must have taken food to Albus and that left me somewhat alone. I left the hall so I wouldn't look stupid, standing alone and wondering who I could talk to. The hallways were completely deserted and I shoved my hands into my pockets. The warm weather from before had passed when the sun had set. A chill crept through the windows and the torches did little to heat up the stone corridors.

Without knowing where I was going, I found myself in front of the Slytherin common room door. I muttered the password and, finding the common room empty save for a few first years doing homework, I sat down on the couch near the fire. I felt to tense to sit comfortably and it was too bloody cold in the common room itself. When Salazar Slytherin had decided to make the chambers for Slytherin students under the lake, he obviously hadn't considered the freezing temperatures that would follow.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" A squeaky voice came from my right. I jumped, facing a first year with messed up blonde hair. He held a letter out in front of me, his hand shaking slightly.

"Er, yeah that's me."

"This came for you at breakfast, but you were already gone for the match. The owl gave it to m-me so…" He thrust the letter into my hand awkwardly.

"Thanks—"

"You were really brilliant in the match today." He squeaked again. "I wish Slytherin would have won." His friends at the tables nearby were whispering to each other, probably regarding him as a superhero of some sort.

"Thanks. We probably wouldn't have deserved it if we did, but that was nice to hear." I tried to smile, but it probably came out as more of a grimace. The boy nodded quickly and ran back to his friends.

I glanced at the letter in my hands, my heart skipping a beat at the familiar, long handwriting of my father on the front. I ripped the envelope open clumsily and pulled out a short note on parchment with the Ministry of Magic symbol printed in the corner and my father's personal Malfoy stamp next to his signature. Obviously, he had written this at work.

My father had never written to me once at Hogwarts. He often sent gifts when I was younger, but those stopped coming by my fifth year. I became used to it and more excited to share with him and mum the events of the year at our dinners where things were more personal. This letter felt like the very last thing I could take on a day full of strange events.

_Scorpius,_

_ It has come to my and your mother's attention that you have been making new acquaintances at Hogwarts, one of them being a Miss Rose Weasley. We wish to convey that this relationship is inappropriate in our eyes and we will not condone it. We understand you are only sixteen Scorpius, and you will make many more foolish decisions in your youth. However, you will be becoming a man this summer and we refuse to allow any unwanted distractions to keep you from your goals as a grown wizard. Therefore, we expect the relationship to be terminated by the end of this school year. This is not a request, but a necessity. If you do not follow through, there will be consequences. We are not against sending you to Durmstrang for your final year of schooling should you continue your relationship. We do not expect a reply. We will talk more about your future and options when you return for the summer._

_ Signed, Draco Malfoy _

_ Wizengamot Official_

_Order of Merlin, Third Class_

I felt my stomach doing backflips with every word. When I had finished the letter, I crumbled it into a ball and threw it into the fire. The fire sparked and crackled around the paper, turning it black as it folded in upon itself and turned to ashes. When Rose's family had discovered the secret, I thought I had never been more scared in my life. I was wrong. My father, respected man that he was and one of my idols, was the man I was also most scared of.

There was no way to make the decision easily. I definitely didn't want to break up with Rose. She was the one thing that kept me sane and happy. She was easily the love of my life. But my father was the man who had taught me to be everything I was proud of. I buried my head in my hands as my mind whizzed back and forth, the sound of my father's letter burning ever present in my ears.

**A/N: Wow! I've been gone for so long! Please believe me when I say I have been sitting down in my spare time whenever I can and writing this chapter out, which I'm pretty proud of! It's a longer one if that makes any of you less angry with me! We're so very close to the ending of this story and I'm more excited than ever to write the sequel and possibly start a new project along with the sequel that I'm dying to tell you all about! This story WILL be finished by me and me alone! I have several AP exams and tryouts for dance coming up in the next few weeks, so bear with me and we'll make it to the end! I love each and every one of my readers whether you started reading today or years ago when this story began! Please leave a review and favorite! I love reading what you guys write as well so please recommend! **

**Yours in eternity, Amy xoxo**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

Rose's POV:

"I'm ready to hex Pomfrey into the next century." Albus grumbled from his bed. His hair was, as always, a messy fan of black against the white pillow. His color had come back nicely in the few days he had been confined to the hospital wing as he continued to get better. However, his mood had not improved.

"Careful, Al." I turned a page in my Ancient Runes textbook and marked a star next to an important passage. "She did save your life. Your ribs almost hit some pretty important organs."

He groaned against his arm dramatically. "Rosie, the next time you're in the hospital wing for three days and Pomfrey gives you the evil eye every time you try sitting up, let me know how you feel."

Albus had indeed been in the hospital wing for three days. According to him, it was "the most boring place in Hogwarts, arguably the world". I visited him as often as I could with various family members and usually Scorpius in tow. He sat next to me in the uncomfortable visiting chairs and played with his wand instead of reading the potions notes I had carefully written out for him.

"Scorp, at least pretend to be studying." I said impatiently. He shot a sheepish grin my way and leafed through the papers in front of him. The sixth year exams were on their way in the last few weeks of school and they were vital to pass in order to take N.E.W.T.S in our seventh year.

"Would you believe me if I told you I was physically incapable of studying?" He joked. Albus chuckled annoyingly from the bed as I rolled my eyes at the pair of them.

"Pomfrey could probably diagnose you." Al added, laughing at his own joke and rubbing his ribs. His bedside table was a colorful explosion of Weasley Wizard Wheezes supplies, sent to him by Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, and candy from Honeydukes. Al had already worked his way through each and every chocolate frog sent (downing an impressive three in one sitting) and was now determined to try every Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.

"Try this one, Rosie." He demanded, waving a bright pink and green bean in my face.

"The last time I tried one, you gave me pepper and you tried to give me vomit." I made a face at the memory of the sickly looking green bean.

Al shrugged. "I thought it was peppermint. Come off it, you've got to trust me on this one. I'll bet you it's strawberry tart!"

"I'll try it." Scorpius supplied from my side. I took note of the bludgers flying around the margins of his paper that he had doodled and sighed in exasperation. Scorpius took the bean and popped it into his mouth, immediately frowning at the taste.

"Strawberry tart?" Albus asked.

"Raw dragon meat, actually." Scorp replied. I snapped my book shut on my lap more harshly than I meant to. Both boys looked up at me in mild surprise.

"I think I'll go to the library. I really need to study for my review tomorrow and I don't want to be behind."

"Since when have you been behind in anything?" Albus asked incredulously. I leaned down to hug him carefully, hoping not to upset his bandages or tightly tucked sheets.

I turned to Scorpius to kiss him lightly. Pulling away, I spoke in a whisper "Will you stay with him?" He's bored, I can tell."

Scorpius looked slightly uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat. Although I knew Scorpius and Albus may never become as close as I wanted them to be, I knew just from watching that they had a budding friendship. If I knew anything about Scorpius, it was that he was a good enough person to stay in the hospital wing to keep an injured friend company.

"I'll stay." He answered quietly, donning a small smirk. I smiled as I met his lips again, and then turned away, ignoring Albus's questions.

"You know, Rose, with everyone whispering around me it feels an awful lot like I'm on my death bed!"

"Get well soon, Al!" I called, wiggling my fingers at my cousin and my boyfriend and pushing the heavy doors of the hospital wing open.

The walk to the library was refreshing, as I was completely alone. It was rare that I wasn't around at least one of my family members or Scorpius and it felt like falling into an old routine as I walked into the library alone, the smell of musty books greeting me like old friends.

"Rosie?" Dominique's voice came from a table by the entrance and I turned my head in surprise to see her sitting with a book in front of her, her blonde hair twisted neatly into a braid.

"Dom, what are you doing here?" I asked. I headed to the table and sat next to her, glancing at the book open in front of her. There was a complex looking drawing of a wizard in a defensive position with his wand raised above him.

"Studying, of course. I need to pass my exams to take the N.E. and I have to have good marks to be considered for auror training." She turned the page of her book, revealing more drawings grouped around a single spell, demonstrating the proper wand technique.

It had been common knowledge in the last few days that Dominique had turned her attention to becoming an auror. It was a shock when she first brought it up, but after seeing the light in her eyes as she talked about her growing desire for it, I couldn't deny that Dom would be a perfect auror. She would be dedicated, talented, and have just the right amount of madness to try.

"I wish I could get Scorp to study. He has these amazing goals but almost no work ethic." Dom giggled next to me as I opened my book to join her.

"Enjoying your reading, ladies?" Dom jumped in surprise and I turned, already knowing who the drawling, male voice belonged to, to see Hayden perched on the chair across from me.

"We have nothing to say to you." I said in my coldest voice. Hayden was the one who had hurt Albus and caused Scorpius to hurt myself in the past. In the matter of one school year, he had become my least favorite person.

"I'm wounded." He exclaimed with a dramatic throw of his hand to his heart. "You've really changed Malfoy, Weasley. I barely recognize him anymore. Planning on dropping hints for that diamond ring anytime soon?"

"Piss off, Hayden." Dominique snapped. Her perfectly manicured nails were digging into her palms in an effort to stay calm.

"You were never any good for Scorpius to begin with. And you can't hurt me with him anymore." I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Hayden narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe I can't. He might be too far gone." He sighed. Then an evil looking grin spread across his face. "Of course, his other relationships never ended perfectly anyway. He's just not cut out for commitment. He tends to love them and leave them, I'm afraid."

"I'm sure he's confided in you with the details of his love life many times in the past." I snapped. His smirk only grew wider.

"You two haven't done it yet, have you?" He was laughing now. "I can see it in your innocent doe eyes, Weasley."

"Because you must be an expert at knowing those kinds of things, wouldn't you DeMoine?" Dom practically shrieked. I became nervous Madam Pince would hear what was going on and appear from the shadows like she had in the past. However, the old witch was nowhere in sight and for once, I was sorry for it. Hayden was too much of a coward to be seen fighting by a staff member.

"It's just interesting the way he's gone about this particular relationship." Hayden continued. "It'll be soon when he makes his first move, Weasley. I hope you're up for it." And with that, he grabbed his books and fled the tables.

"He is just an arrogant arsehole!" Dominique muttered between clenched teeth.

"I don't care what he says." Which was true. I didn't care what Hayden had to say about myself or my family. I didn't want to admit to Dom however that his mentioning of Scorpius's past love life bothered me. I knew I had little experience compared to Scorpius. My cheeks flamed red as I ducked my head, pretending to read a passage where the lines blurred in my mind.

Albus's POV:

I'm not sure what Rose was trying to accomplish when she left Malfoy and me in the hospital wing alone. Our total lack of conversation was most likely not what she was shooting for, but six years of routine was hard to break.

"Erm— how are things? With, y'know, Rose." I asked awkwardly. Malfoy snapped his head up in surprise.

"Oh, um, they're fine. Yeah, it's been going pretty well." He grabbed his notes for something to do and looked down again.

"She seems, er… really happy. And James would definitely kick your arse if she wasn't, so… good job." I supplied pathetically. Surprisingly Malfoy chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. I don't plan on hurting her… I don't want to…" He trailed off, staring blankly at the sheets at the end of my bed.

I noticed that when Rose was mentioned, Malfoy opened up more. As a guy, being able to notice the change proved it was clear that he did like her a lot… did he love her? The thought made my stomach flip instinctively but I knew it was wrong to think that way now.

"Um, I never properly thanked you for helping me off the field. That was good of you." I barked out. I didn't know if I would have been able to do the same for a Slytherin player if my sorry arse was put in the same position.

"Don't mention it." He smirked, almost as if by habit. "Do— do you remember much of anything?"

I racked my brains but as always, feeling a lot like I did in History of Magic class, there was nothing. The last thing I remembered was reaching for the snitch and my heart racing before indescribable pain in my right temple and then blackness.

"No, nothing. But Rose told me it was Hayden that hit me, and that you helped Fred get me away. She also told me James broke Hayden's nose. He had to go to Madame Pomfrey before anyone noticed." Malfoy's eyebrows shot up and he began to laugh.

"James did? I'll have to shake his hand. I wish I could have done it."

"Isn't DeMoine your friend?" I asked. I had to agree that I wished I could practice some of the defensive spells from class on Hayden. I didn't care that he had hurt me, although the stabbing pain in my head said otherwise. He had scared and hurt my family, something I would not allow.

"No. Not for a while he hasn't been. I only really kept him around because I didn't talk to anyone else." Malfoy answered.

"Well, er, with Rose trusting you and everything… I think you'll find you've made friends from the rest of the family too." I croaked out. I couldn't believe I was telling Malfoy we were… friends? If I had been foretold about this moment five years ago, I would have laughed and cursed the one who told me into oblivion.

Malfoy looked at me like he expected me to take it back or laugh. His face softened when he must have realized I wasn't joking.

"Thanks." He mumbled. "Er, I think I should be going." He looked over toward Pomfrey's office where she was glaring at him through the cracked door.

"Better book it." I advised, Pomfrey's glare sending a shiver down my spine. "She isn't pretty when it comes to kicking out visitors. Hugo will probably be scarred for life after she hexed her skelegrow bottle to chase him out."

Malfoy began laughing as he collected his things. "I'll, um, see you later."

"Probably with Rose." I added with a half-smile. His face paled a little at her name. Now I wasn't an expert on all things love-related, but his reaction didn't look right.

"Yeah, with Rose. Feel better soon." He shouldered his bag and left, waving goodbye before exiting through the doors.

As Pomfrey shuffled around, pulling my curtains shut and obnoxiously fluffing my pillow so it was less comfortable than before, a nagging voice spoke from the back of my head.

_"Something is up with Malfoy." _

_ "Shut it." _

It was strange enough to be speaking to myself. But it was stranger to feel like I suddenly had some sixth sense about relationships. Arrogantly, I thought my charm with the young witches of Hogwarts had finally developed into an actual power I could harness. In reality, I could tell by Malfoy's behavior about Rose that something was bothering him.

_"You've messed with Rose enough this year. Don't go interfering with her relationship again."_ My mind told me. But I was Albus Severus Potter. And if there was anything Albus Severus Potter was good at, it was interfering with things. The fact that my dad's Marauder's Map was lying tucked under sweaters and socks in James's trunk was proof of our talent for snooping. And Rose was my cousin, my absolute best friend. If Malfoy ended up hurting her, he would have to answer to me and the entire male population of the Potter-Weasley-Lupin family.

Scorpius's POV:

I couldn't waste any more time sitting in the dusty, hidden corner Rose and I used to study in at the library. I had been trying to study for about a quarter of an hour until my mind was so full and confused, I had to stop. Now, my head ached even more with the weight of my father's letter.

I thought I might see Rose in the library when I decided to study, an action in itself that was very uncharacteristic of myself. Rose was nowhere in the library however, and I assumed she must have left for Gryffindor tower.

"You have twenty minutes to pack your things, Mister Malfoy." Madam Pince wheezed from the section labeled "Care of foreign, rare, and possibly dangerous creatures A-K". Given that Madam Pince was a possibly dangerous creature, it seemed fitting. I nodded to show I heard her and made sure she had slunk back into the musty shadows before shoving my notes into my bag, not caring that they were becoming creased and crumpled.

I swung my bag over my shoulder and grabbed the text book I was referencing for my potions exam. That exam was just another dark spot in my future. I needed an E to pass Potions, and if I got an O for some miracle, I would get an E in class. Rose's tutoring had worked wonders on my grades since the start. I felt guilty that I couldn't even credit her to my parents now.

Thinking about Rose caused my stomach to flip around. Was I coming down with something? I tried to hurry down the lowly lit hallways to the Slytherin common room and to my warm bed where I might find some peace for the night.

"Been up late studying?" I stopped in my tracks, startled. Hayden stepped out of a shadowy corner, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Yes." I said in a monotone voice. We hadn't spoken since the day of the match when I had told him to piss off.

"You still want to be an Auror?" He asked, now coming to join me by my side. I huffed and continued walking. Hayden followed at a safe distance.

"Thinking about it, yeah."

"You know, it sounds like something I could get into." He drawled.

"You might want to wake up in potions if you're looking into it. It requires at least an Acceptable to get in." I snapped.

"I got an Acceptable last year, didn't I?"

"Because you cheated off Marlene Thornburry." I muttered. Hayden waved his hand lazily.

"How are you going to get in? You barely scraped a Poor on your O.W.L.S; they only let you in because of your daddy's money."

"Shut the fuck up, Hayden." My vision was going red. He walked closer and faster as I tried to quicken my pace. I had longer legs than Hayden and soon he was slightly panting.

"Oh, that's right. Weasley's been tutoring you, I forgot. That's how this whole thing started, didn't it?" He spoke in a reflective voice, as if he was genuinely interested in my grades. "You know I had never pegged her as the type of girl to partake in such activity, but redheads can be feisty."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped again.

"She gives you good grades, you give her sex." He didn't get any farther before I had him pinned against the wall, my wand at his throat.

"You don't talk about her like that. You don't know her at all!" I shouted. Hayden had a smirk plastered on his ugly face, but there was some fear in his eyes. I was physically and mentally stronger than him and I knew more spells. If it came down to a duel, we both knew the odds were greater in my favor.

He pushed back at me, sending enough force to release him from my grip. I threw a punch and met his jaw with a satisfying cracking noise. He staggered and drew his wand from his robes.

"She must be a secret little minx, because the Scorpius Malfoy I know would never have gone for someone so bookish." He spat blood on the stone. "You've been falling, Malfoy. You're losing your touch. Going soft, haven't you been?"

I sent a spell at him without saying any words, something I had mastered early on in class. He yelped as the ground sparked at his feet where he stepped. "Expelliarmus!" He shouted. The spell narrowly missed my wand, which stayed in my hand, but hit my shoulder and knocked me to the floor. He tried to tackle me but I kicked him off and sent him sprawling.

"What the devil is going on down here?" Professor McGregor shouted from the end of the corridor. Subconsciously I had led Hayden and myself into the dungeons. We had stopped around the corner from the Potions classroom.

Professor McGregor picked up Hayden roughly by the arms and I stumbled to my feet before he could do the same to me.

"Do either of you know how many points you have just lost Slytherin? Fifty points, each!" I could practically hear the emeralds in the Slytherin glass in the entrance hall cursing me as they were deducted. "Never has fighting and dueling been allowed in the Hogwarts halls! DeMoine, you get yourself to the Hospital wing and then come immediately to my office. Malfoy, follow me." His voice was so menacing in that moment I didn't hesitate to follow his orders. He must have thought I was uninjured enough to receive punishment early and I glanced at Hayden. His jaw was a brutal purple and red shade and his mouth was a mess of blood and a cracked tooth. He glared at me before turning down the corridor and out of sight.

I followed Professor McGregor into his office, behind a door that I had continually seen in the Potions room, but had surprisingly never been into. McGregor had always usually handed out punishments at his desk.

His office was dark but homily lit with lots of jars of slimy, glutinous things suspended in jars full of colored liquids. Some of them glowed and some of them made sucking noises. There was another door at the back that most likely led to his private bedroom. There was also a silver tin of biscuits on the corner of his desk but I didn't think he would let me take one when I was in trouble.

"Sit down, Malfoy." He seated himself behind his desk, folding his hands. I took a seat in the uncomfortable chair across from him and stared pointedly above his head.

"You may not be one of my most attentive students. However, I did not expect this brash behavior from you. Your grades have been improving immensely. I trust you and Miss Weasley have been working hard?"

I was waiting for him to start yelling again but I choked out "Working hard, yeah. She's helped a lot."

"So I've heard. Perhaps more than with just Potions, Mister Malfoy?"

"Er— sir?"

"You and Mister DeMoine have not been the same. I notice you don't speak to him in class unless absolutely necessary. Your improved potion making has done well for the pair of you though I must say, dueling your potions partner does not impress the Professor." I winced. "You must choose the people you surround yourself with wisely."

"I have already taken fifty points from you. I will take no more. You will have double detention with me, eight o' clock every Saturday for the next two weeks. Yes, Mister Malfoy I do realize we only have two weeks left of term." He cut me off before I could protest. I cleared my throat and straightened my back.

"Yes, sir."

"Mister DeMoine will be receiving equal punishment. You will not be serving detention together. I won't have dueling in my room."

"Will that be all, sir?" I asked. I was dying for my bed more than ever now.

"One last thing. May I ask what you two were so foolish as to duel over?"

I was surprised to say the least. "Nothing, sir."

"A young lady, perhaps? That always seems to be the answer."

"Er— not exactly. Hayden's a git— sorry sir, Hayden and I don't get on right now."

"I gathered that." He stared at me and then waved his wand, opening the door to his office. "You may leave. Fifty points, and Saturday night. I'll expect you on time."

I left quickly, almost stumbling against the stools at the Potions tables. I had to get out of the dungeons. I knew Hayden would be coming back soon and I wouldn't be able to face him without cursing him into the next century. I walked blindly up the stairs to the entrance hall. Prefects were patrolling the corridors as it was nearly time for everyone to be in their dorms. I ducked behind tapestries and pillars, hiding from the Slytherin Prefects.

I ducked into a random classroom that was mercifully deserted and sat against a desk. I punched the floor in a fit of anger and didn't care when blood bloomed on my knuckles.

My father's letter. Rose. Hayden. Auror Training. Rose. The Letter. I gripped my head in my bloody hands trying to block everything out. I wanted to scream in frustration, but I knew that would alert a teacher.

"Scorpius?"

I jumped, thinking I had been caught. But when I looked to the door, Rose was standing there with the light from the windows like a spotlight on her. There was a sort of sparkly cloak in her hands but she threw it aside and kneeled down in front of me, gathering me in her arms.

I immediately broke down. I don't cry, and I didn't cry. But I let out the heavy breaths I had been holding in and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her into my lap. She tangled her little fingers in my hair.

"It's okay." She whispered. "It's okay. Tell me what happened." She pulled away from me, taking my hands in hers and running her thumb over my blood stained knuckles.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mumbled. As gently as I could, I placed my hand on her cheek and brought her in to kiss her. I needed to forget everything. I wanted to forget everything. But she was the one thing I wouldn't forget.

She responded, kissing me back softly. Her fingers were in my hair again and my tongue was against hers. She was completely pressed against me without an inch of space. I moved my hands from her sides down to her hips, trying to pull her closer.

She broke away. "Scorp, you have to tell me what happened." I began to kiss down her neck softly. "Do you know how scared I was when Hayden walked into the hospital wing all bloodied and I heard your name?"

I looked her in the eyes. "You really think he could have taken me?"

"Stop. This is serious. You fought him?"

"I couldn't stop myself." I looked down. She had never looked at me so disapprovingly before. But still she held me close. "He was saying all these shitty things. And he brought up you and your family and—"

"Never mind what he says about me. I can take care of myself." She straightened herself in my lap as if to look fiercer and my chest panged. Merlin, I was so in love with her. What the hell was I going to do about my father's letter?

"I want to take care of you. And that prick has caused enough damage this year."

Her face softened and she pressed a kiss to my lips. "Did you get in trouble?"

"McGregor broke it up. He took a hundred points away from Slytherin. And I have detention the next two Saturdays."

"Well that's not so bad." She remarked. I glanced at her and she smirked. "It could have been worse."

I looked over at the door, making sure we were quite alone. Her strange, glittery cloak was in a heap on the floor.

"How did you find me?" I asked. She blushed and I ran my finger over the warmed skin.

"I was visiting Albus and when I heard, I went looking for you. I just remember this is where I came when I was upset about Robin and you found me."

Surprised, I glanced up at the blackboard where a detailed drawing of a muggle carrying what looked like a heavy box was diagramed. Rose was right in that I had somehow gotten myself back to the Muggle Studies classroom. The irony was almost overwhelming.

"How did you not get caught? There are teachers and prefects everywhere." I asked. She blushed more.

"How did you avoid them?" She retorted.

"I, being mischievous, have had six years' experience sneaking around in the night. You, being an overall morally abiding student, have surprised me." I smirked, satisfied that I had caused her to giggle slightly.

She glanced back over at the cloak on the floor. She leaned in closer to whisper to me, like there was a secret she was afraid the room itself could hear.

"We have an invisibility cloak in the family. It's only used for very special occasions. Well, by myself it is. Al and James use it to nick food from the kitchens."

I was pleasantly surprised, and was about to say so when a light passed by the door, no doubt from the wand of a teacher. Rose's eyes widened and I pressed my finger to my lips. She cupped a hand over her mouth to keep her breathing soft.

The light passed away seconds after. Apparently the inspector had lost interest. Rose took her hand away from her mouth.

"It's late." I said. "We should get to bed." Her cheeks darkened again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked. "You don't need to talk or expel your deepest dreams and vulnerabilities?" She was simply teasing now.

"_You_ are my deepest dream and vulnerability. I would have thought you could have guessed that." If Rose could get any redder, she did. She got to her knees and bent down to kiss me, slow and different from other kisses. Somehow there was communication in the contact of lips to lips and it seemed to spread to my fingertips.

"You know I love you, right?" I asked as soon as we separated.

"I know. I love you too." She whispered in the darkness.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall and Rose quickly smoothed her hair and grabbed the cloak and her wand. I waited, leaning against a desk. Rose would leave first, under her strange cloak, and I would follow about a minute after. Hopefully, I wouldn't be found. I was already in enough trouble.

She tossed her red hair over her shoulder and turned toward me, crossing the room quickly and quietly to kiss me quickly.

"Don't let what he says get to you. I'm fine. And you're so much more worth what he thinks you should be." And then she was gone, quite literally vanishing under her cloak. It was strange to think she was still in front of me but completely hidden from view.

The door opened and then closed and I knew I was alone again. I waited for the minute to pass when I would attempt to make my escape. But without Rose, the crushing pressure was starting to come back. Her scent still lingered around me and it made it harder to think when she was taking up all of my thoughts.

_" …you will be becoming a man this summer and we refuse to allow any unwanted distractions to keep you from your goals as a grown wizard…" _My father's words echoed in my head. He thought of Rose as nothing but a distraction. An obstacle in his plans for my success. I pictured his letter, edges turning black and gold, crumbling to ashes in the fire. I thought of his stern gaze, his rare, but firm and loving, hugs and of his words always guiding me as a child.

He had taken me with him to the ministry once. I shook hands with the Minister of Magic, though I didn't understand the importance of the man at the time, and I laughed at my reflection in the perfectly polished marble floors of his office.

_"One day this will be yours, Scorpius. Being a Malfoy means being given opportunities no other witch or wizard has. Cherish it."_ He had told me. And then I sat in his chair behind the dark wood desk with the snakes carved into the legs and marveled at the feeling of the world in front of me, though I could barely see over the desk itself.

I put my head in my hands for what felt like the dozenth time. My mind seemed to be flashing between Rose and my father, two people in my life who couldn't be more different from each other.

And for some unfathomable reason, though I knew it was an inevitable truth, I would have to choose between them.

**A/N: Wow! I really loved writing this chapter probably because I got to explore three different POVs! But writing it was also a bittersweet journey because this is the second to last chapter of Unexpected :( I have my outline for the last chapter and I'll probably be posting it soon with a very sentimental author's note for anyone who reads these. I'm excited to say yesterday was my last day of my sophomore year and that means a whole summer of writing! I will have a lot of dancing over the summer but in between that, I'll be working on Unbreakable and most likely a Teddy/Victoire piece. Very excited and love you all! Please, please, please with Scorpius Malfoy on top let me know what you think about this chapter! **

**~ yours in eternity xx Amy**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21

Songs I was listening to while writing: The Rain Song by Led Zeppelin, Miserable at Best and Jersey by Mayday Parade, and Let it Roll by All Time Low

Rose's POV:

In the days that followed leading up to the exams, I found my time with Scorpius becoming more and more limited. Almost all of my time was devoted to a corner in the library that quickly became known as "Rose Weasley's corner" where no other student dared to sit. There was a formidable looking pile of parchment stacked next to several books, organized by subject. And I had to admit, if I was another student and not myself, I would be scared to upset my level of concentration as well.

"Rosie, you realize you're only a sixth year." James said good-naturedly the morning before exams over breakfast while spearing a bit of bacon on his fork and waving it around as he talked. "Your NEWTs aren't even until next year!"

"I know that, James." I mumbled, tearing through my carefully labeled Charms notes to find the page about non-verbal spells. "I need to be able to pass all of these exams to take the NEWTs classes I want next year."

"What are you planning on taking?" He asked with his mouth full of food. Next to him, Lacey swatted his shoulder and mouthed "manners" with a smile on her face. He grinned sheepishly.

"I was thinking of taking Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Herbology, History of Magic, and possibly Care of Magical Creatures." I listed off the classes quickly, having finally located my notes. Next to me, James dropped his fork.

"Ten NEWTs?" He demanded. "What the fuck, Rose!"

"James!" Lacey chided him for his language as Lily and Hugo were sitting across the table from us, silently in fits of laughter.

"I want to make sure I have a wide selection of internships to choose from." I huffed at James' shocked expression.

"Merlin knows you won't have a problem finding a job after school! How are you going to manage that many classes? I can barely manage my six!" James breathed, looking utterly shocked.

"It's Rose. What else did you expect?" Lacey asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to the side to press a kiss to her cheek and I couldn't help but smile.

Ever since Lacey and James had started dating, he had become almost a different person overnight. He was more open and laughing; a stark contrast to the stressed out James I had known for most of my life due to Quidditch and the pressure of graduation.

"I have faith in you, Rosie." He announced. "You'll be the next Minister of Magic in time." He winked playfully.

"James, you know I don't want to be the Minister." I blushed. The thought of me making decisions for all of wizard-kind was a frightening one.

"Do you know what Scorpius is taking?" Lacey asked.

"All the classes that qualify him for Auror training." I answered. Scorpius was currently in the library, to my initial shock and pride, having said he needed a last minute Potions study session before the next week, which would be filled with exams.

When they finally arrived, the exams were, as promised, painstakingly difficult. Even I found myself frazzled for moments at a time when I had to cast a perfect Aguamenti charm in the Charms practical or name the complicated goblin rebellion dates that all sounded the same in the History of Magic written exam.

Our sixth year exams were made to be slightly easier than the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests we would be taking the year after and that James faced now. However, the Professors showed no mercy and often the day would end with Albus and I sprawled across the couches in the common room, utterly spent while James retired to a comfortable spot on the floor and fell asleep within minutes.

The last day of exams was a welcome sight on my calendar when I woke up on Friday morning. An hour later, standing outside the oak doors of the Great Hall with Al and Dominique, tensions were running high. It was a beautiful day outside, the sky completely cloudless and blue with a light breeze. Al scowled at a group of Hufflepuff fourth year girls leaving the Entrance Hall to lounge by the lake where many other students had taken up residence for the afternoon.

"It isn't fair." He muttered, still rubbing his eyes sleepily. "It's the bloody most beautiful day of the year, the Quidditch final is this weekend, and we're about to take an exam."

"Don't remind me." Scorpius's voice came from my left. He looked completely exhausted and his tie wasn't straight. He ran his hand through his already mussed blonde hair.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" asked Dominique. I noted the dark circles under his eyes as I reached out to straighten Scorpius's tie. I pressed a hand to his chest when I was finished and felt his heart racing.

"A few hours. I was studying. And thinking." He responded with a yawn.

"You're going to do great." I assured him, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it. Scorpius had worked too hard this year to let his nerves get the best of him during the exam. He smiled weakly at me and paled considerably when the doors swung open, creaking loudly, and Professor McGregor waved us into the room.

We were seated in alphabetical order in desks that formed long rows extending from the high table where the teachers sat during feasts to the back doors. Dominique was seated directly in front of me and she gripped my hand tightly as they handed out the quills that would keep us from cheating. Her grip was almost painful, but I didn't tell her. I knew she had only grown more serious about Auror training the closer we got to the end of the year and a good grade in Potions was pivotal for the opportunity.

Two rows to our left diagonally sat Scorpius. He was staring at his desk, mumbling under his breath. As he always did when I was staring at him, as if he could sense it, he looked up at me. I smiled at him and finally, he smiled back. It was a brilliant smile, toothy and white, and it slightly took my breath away. He would be okay.

The quills had been administered and with a wave of the examiner's wand, the test appeared on our desks.

"You have an hour and a half for the written portion of the sixth year Potions exam!" He announced, his voice magically magnified with his wand pressed to his throat and a Sonorus charm. "After that, we will have a practical session where you will each brew a potion for another hour and a half. Then you will be free to leave. Your time begins now!"

Scorpius's POV:

From the minute I had woken up, my heart had somehow worked its way into my stomach and had refused to beat regularly since. The nightmare I had been having probably didn't help much with my nerves as patches of it kept coming back to me.

My father was reflected in a circle of mirrors around me. He looked angry and sparks were flying out of his wand. I was dressed in Ministry robes, but they were much too big for me and I kept tripping over the hem of the robes as I tried to find a gap between the mirrors to escape from. And Rose was just outside the mirrors. I could hear her calling for me, but I couldn't see her. I looked down and realized I had shrunken to the size of a small child.

_"One day this will be yours, Scorpius. Being a Malfoy means being given opportunities no other witch or wizard has. Cherish it."_ My father's words echoed around me until suddenly he was standing in front of me. He offered me his hand and I took it. He smiled at me warmly, like he used to when I was really little. Rose yelled my name louder and louder and I woke up, gasping, in sweaty sheets at four in the morning.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Dominique asked me, her bright voice far too loud for the morning. Rose was straightening my tie and she pressed her little hand to my chest, right over my heart. She must have felt it beating fast because her eyes widened. When she took her hand away, my heart dropped back into my stomach.

I really wanted to just take her away from the mass of sleepy Potions students and enjoy the day outside. But I wasn't even sure I would be able to do that without worrying about my father. I was almost glad when Rose and I were separated by alphabetical order, only because her flowery scent was mixing up my thoughts even more than usual.

Minutes later, staring at the exam, I willed those jumbled thoughts in my head to go away. I hadn't spent a solid week of doing nothing else but studying, eating and barely sleeping to confuse myself when I really needed to think.

_Question One:_

_ When brewing a Sleeping Draught, the final step before waving your wand includes:__

I let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding and scrawled "Stirring cauldron 7 times clockwise". I cleared away all thoughts of my father looming over me and Rose screaming and focused on the exam, which may or may not have been the one thing that could end my Auror career flat.

…

"That was the worst exam yet." Albus Potter complained, flailing his arms around him on the grass. "The examiner looked right in my cauldron when it was fucking purple." He paused for dramatic effect and eyed all three of us beadily. "It was supposed to be orange!"

Dominique giggled from her seat against the tree that cast a large shadow over the grounds and part of the lake. I had sat next to this tree with Rose one of the first times we had spent time together. However, I remembered her being angrier at me than happy at the time, probably because I thought it would be funny to splash her.

"How do you think you did?" Rose asked me in the present. She was seated between my legs, picking at blades of grass and scattering them in the breeze. She had to twist herself around to look at me properly and I admired the way the sunlight made her hair look fiery with a pang in my chest.

"Probably alright." I answered honestly. Once I had become focused, the answers seemed to come more easily to me. I recognized a lot of the questions from the revision papers Rose had forced me to look at and Merlin was I glad she did. "I didn't have any big mistakes with my actual potion. Except I think some of it splashed onto the examiner. I was stirring like a mad man for time."

Rose laughed and went into detail on her, no doubt, immaculate performance. I smiled as she leaned against my chest and closed my eyes to feel the breeze coming off the water. I felt like I was slowly suffocating despite the fresh air and shifted around, jostling Rose in the process.

"Everything okay?" She asked with a very Slytherin-like smirk on her face.

"Want to get out of here?" I blurted out as quietly as I could. For some reason, Albus's and Dominique's presence was making me nervous. I felt like I only had limited time with Rose left, for some dumb reason.

"Are you feeling okay?" She made to press her hand to my forehead, an extremely motherly gesture, but I took her hand in mine instead.

"I just need some time alone with you." She glanced around at Albus and Dominique, who had waved over some other Gryffindor students and hadn't been listening to us.

"Alright." She sighed and she stood up from my lap, brushing the bits of grass off her skirt. We left without Rose's cousins really noticing, though Dominique waved absentmindedly to Rose.

Back in the cool hallways of Hogwarts we wandered down the first floor corridors until we came across a familiar classroom that I had come to recognize on sight now.

"Would you believe nobody is in the Muggle Studies classroom, again?" I asked. Cracking open the door, I could see the room was deserted; the desks seemingly untouched since the last time Rose and I had taken refuge. I pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside casually.

"Scorpius!" Rose hissed, tugging on the sleeve of my robes. "What are you doing?"

"It would be very out of character for us not to go inside." I said in my best impression of someone who knew what they were actually doing and wiggled my eyebrows. It took only this for Rose to sigh as if she were babysitting a particularly disobedient child and follow me into the room, closing the door behind her.

I sat on top of one of the desks— made to seat two people— and patted the space next to me. She hopped up on my left, her feet dangling a few inches above the floor.

"Can you believe it's almost the summer holiday?" She breathed excitedly, glancing at the window where the sky could be seen. "We're going to be seventh years."

"I still feel like a second year." I mumbled, causing her to laugh. I sat there, relaxed for once while Rose talked about what she was planning on doing over the summer. She wanted to go to Europe with her parents and Hugo and then a place called "Shell Cottage" where Dominique lived over the holidays. She talked about visiting the Ministry and seeing where her mother worked and possibly meeting department heads to talk about internships. Rose was very ambitious. It was surprising that she hadn't been placed in Slytherin. Although, she could also have fit into Ravenclaw with her brains.

I remembered watching her when she was sorted, though at the time I couldn't fathom why I was interested at all. All of the Potters and Weasleys were interesting to my eleven year old mind, as my dad had talked about them to me before. The hat had taken a good few minutes to decide where Rose belonged while it had taken only a few seconds debate with me between Slytherin and Gryffindor, something I found completely absurd.

"What are you thinking about?" Rose asked. I realized I had been lost in my thoughts again. I guiltily smiled at her.

"When we were first years. It's weird; I'm going to be an adult in a month." I realized, certainly not for the first time since my father's letter, that I had a lot of decisions to make and I didn't feel qualified to make any of them.

"You're going to make a really good Auror." She said suddenly. She was looking at me seriously.

"You think so?" I asked, a nervous fluttering beginning in my stomach. "I might not even make it that far if I didn't pass the Potions exam."

"Don't say that. I'm positive you passed. You need to stop doubting yourself."

She was right, of course. But it was hard not to doubt myself when I still felt like I was somewhat controlled by my parents. I wasn't even sure I was allowed to make my own decisions any more.

"You would make a good Auror too, you know." I said. Rose's eyes widened slightly. I was sure no one had probably ever told her that.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're strong. And scary." I added and she swatted at me. "You know lots of spells and you're a genius. And if you ever got captured, you could talk their ear off with Magical Theory and A History of Hogwarts. They'd want to let you go." By this time, Rose was laughing.

"I'll have you know Scorpius Malfoy that should I get a job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I could be your boss one day and you'll regret ever having made fun—" Rose's speech, which I wasn't taking seriously anyway, was cut off as I had pulled her across the few inches of space between us and had kissed her.

Even I didn't really know I had moved until her lips were on mine. But I realized it was what I had wanted— needed— all day. Rose was my greatest distraction against the things that made me want to give up. And it was almost like she wiped my worries clean the minute she started kissing me back.

She pulled away for air and I pulled her closer, reveling in the feeling of her hair tickling my hands and her breath mingling with my own. I pressed kisses to her neck gently and felt a tugging in my stomach when she moaned softly.

Her lips were back on mine and I lost myself in the feeling of lips on lips and tongue and teeth. We had never really kissed like this before, with an almost reckless care. She brushed her lips along my jawline and I gasped as I fingered with the hem of her Gryffindor embroidered outer-sweater. She froze, only for a second, and I looked her in the eyes. When she nodded and I felt her lips ghosting against mine again, I allowed my hands to travel under her shirt.

It was her turn to gasp as my fingers trailed along her skin, which was incredibly soft. I wondered, briefly as it was hard to think when her lips were now paying attention to my neck, if she had ever been touched by Robin like this. Had she let him explore her skin the way I was? I doubted it as her cheeks were blooming with pink, making her freckles stand out. She was so beautiful.

Our mouths connected again and I felt like there were literal sparks between us or trails of fire following my fingers as they moved up, up—

I felt the fabric of Rose's bra in the back and the plastic of the clasps that held it together. I knew, from the way she shivered against me, that she had never let it go this far before. And we were in a classroom in school, breathing heavily and it was suddenly too hot.

"_What the fuck were you about to do?"_ I asked myself. _"You really think you have enough responsibility not to get carried away? You can't even get to sleep without a nightmare lately and you think you have the right to make this decision for her? You can't even make your own decisions."_ And as my voice turned into my father's voice, I pulled my hands out from under Rose's shirt and pushed myself away from her.

"What's wrong?" She gasped. Her lips were a deep shade of pink, no doubt from the heavy kissing that had ensued, and her whole face had a flattering flush to it. But all I could focus on was the look of hurt on her features.

"I can't— we can't—" I spluttered. I felt a panic attack of sorts coming on, but I shoved it down. Now was not the time. I had almost let myself go beyond the point of no return. Because I knew, even if Rose didn't, that if I had let myself start I wouldn't have stopped.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered. "Was it something I did? Because—"

"No." I gasped. "No! I just…" It was becoming harder and harder to breath. _You will be becoming a man this summer_… "It's not—" _You will make many more foolish decisions in your youth… a man… your youth… _

"We can't do this." I finally said. I felt like I was drained of air and I stared down at the marble ground. I heard sniffling and I knew Rose was crying and, fuck, I wanted so bad to make it stop.

"I'm sorry; I've never done this before." She said quietly. Her voice was choked with tears that I knew she was trying to hold back.

"No. I mean, Rose… _we can't do this anymore_." And when I finally looked at her I knew she had seen what I meant in my eyes.

"Scorpius…"

"I have to go." I choked out, horrified with what I was saying. But I didn't stop myself as I turned and shoved the door open, trying to block out the sound of Rose's sobs.

…

I aimed another punch at the wall and felt a satisfying pain when my fourth and fifth fingers made a crunching sound. I knew they were broken the minute I pulled my fist back but I didn't care. I had been kicking and punching the wall in a deserted seventh floor corridor for what felt like an hour.

I had broken into a run as soon as I left Rose and didn't look back. I didn't care that students were staring at me as I tore up the staircases. I could feel the panic attack from before coming back, bubbling up through my bones and choking my throat.

I had collapsed, somewhere on the seventh floor, in a heap. I struggled for breath and felt like a hot spike was driving through my head. I gripped my head in my hands, willing the pain to go away. But I knew it wouldn't unless I calmed myself down.

I had broken up with Rose. I had actually left Rose crying in a classroom alone, not for the first time this year. And it tore me apart. But I had almost made a decision that could have ruined everything for the both of us. And when I thought about my father's letter, I knew that I had made the right decision.

My father wasn't right about a lot of things. But he knew what he was talking about when he said I wasn't old enough to make good decisions and I needed more responsibility. In short, I was too unstable for Rose to keep her happy. I knew it even if she didn't.

I don't know how long I sat there, every few minutes punching the wall again as a fresh wave of anger pulsed through me. It must have been a long time, because the shadows against the floor were growing longer and the light from the windows was fading. I thought about sleeping here, as I didn't think I could get myself up and drag my body down to the Slytherin common room, when I heard heavy footsteps.

Albus Potter burst suddenly out of a tapestry against the wall, which had apparently been concealing one of Hogwarts' many secret corridors. The minute he saw me, he whipped out his wand and stalked toward me.

"You fucking liar." He spat. "You said you would never hurt her."

I didn't answer. How could I? He was right.

"Do you know that Rose is crying her eyes out with Dominique right now? She can't even form a sentence." I felt like I was folding in upon myself and I would disappear in a black hole, right there in the corridor.

"Do you even have an answer? What, you thought you could get her all excited and happy and then when she wasn't good enough for your sexual needs, you would just dump her?" He was yelling now, his wand still pointed at me.

"That has nothing to do with it." I finally barked out, my voice cracking.

"Bullshit. I can read Rose like a book, how far did you go before breaking her heart?"

"We were just kissing. And I wasn't thinking."

"Well, obviously! Did you even really love her? I mean, why waste your time on a perfectly good girl like Rose when you could be with any of the slags around Hogwarts? You thought it would be fun to see her—"

"That's not what I was fucking thinking!" I shouted. "My father sent me a letter last month telling me I had to break up with her. And when I read it, I had never been so angry in my life. And I tried for a long time to figure out another way around it, but you don't know my father!" The words tumbled out of my mouth clumsily.

"Why not stand up for yourself?" Albus asked. He narrowed his eyes.

"You've never met my dad." I said calmly. "There's no arguing with him. He gets his way no matter what."

"That's bullshit!" Albus shouted again. "You are your own god damn person, Malfoy! Why the hell did Rose have to get involved?" He was lowering his wand now, but he was still looking at me like I was a disgusting creature he had to kill.

"I'm going to fix this." I decided, then and there. "I have to prove to him that I can make my own decisions. But Rose would have gotten more hurt if I had let her get further dragged into it. My father would have mentally _destroyed_ her if he wanted to."

And even though minutes ago, I was convincing myself of my own inadequacy as an adult, what I was saying now made more sense. My father didn't know love like he should have. He didn't understand passion or free will. And even though he had grown up in a household where he had no choices, he didn't have to impose the same life on me.

Albus sighed and looked at my hand. "What the fuck did you do?" I glanced down at the fingers that were swollen and bruised. My knuckles were covered in blood and I curled my hand into a fist experimentally, wincing at the shooting pain.

I stood up suddenly, cradling my hand to my chest.

"Please," I struggled to keep my voice calm. "Please don't let Rose think this is the end. Whatever you can do, please don't let her think I left her for nothing. I love her. Don't look at me like that—" I snapped at Albus's look of angered disbelief. "I love her. I refuse to drag her into my messes."

We stood staring at each other; almost polar opposites as far as people could go.

"I won't let her walk around with the idea that she has to wait for you. If she wants to see other blokes, you can't expect me to stop her." He countered.

"Then make sure she's happy, at least." I begged. "But give me time. I want to fix this. Just don't let her beat herself up over it."

"I won't." He mumbled. "God damn it, Malfoy. You fucked up really bad."

I knew that. He didn't have to tell me.

"But I can see where you're coming from." He surprised me. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're fixing this."

And I knew I would. I would become an Auror. I wasn't going to work a desk job like my father. I was going to fix things with Rose, even if we couldn't be together. And my father would understand that he couldn't control me anymore. I was Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, and it was time I built that name for myself.

**A/N: I can't believe I just wrote the last chapter of Unexpected. I know the ending is pretty upsetting and I hope you all know, like I did while I was writing it, that it isn't the end for dear Scorpius and Rose! The sequel has lots of twists and turns for them. You've probably noticed that I've been writing in Scorpius's POV more than Rose's now and that will continue into Unbreakable. I'll probably be writing mostly in Scorpius's perspective because it's his story to tell now. But enough about the chapter itself. It's time for my thanks and goodbyes to this story!  
>I started writing this story in eighth grade when I first discovered fanfiction and thought I could possibly write one for myself. You can't even imagine my joy when I discovered that I had people reading and reviewing on my story and that is why you, the readers, have been the spark that kept this flame going! Writing Unexpected was a journey for me over three years which sounds either really cool, or proves the fact that I am truly awful about updating! (nervously sweats) In all honesty, I have some changes to the way I'll be posting things in the future that I'll hopefully follow! I'd obviously like to update more frequently and regularly but I'd also like to start writing whatever song I was listening to while writing at the start of each chapter if I can (which I did for this chapter) just for fun so you guys can see what was inspiring me while I wrote or just what I listen to! I have never been more excited to write something than I have when I sat down to think of the title and main plot points for the sequel: Unbreakable. It will definitely be coming soon! I also have a Teddy LupinVictoire Weasley story (currently called Shades of Blue) that I'm planning on writing along with Unbreakable (presumably I'll be writing both at the same time) so that will be an interesting task to take on! But back to Unexpected, I want to thank each and every one of the people that favorited or followed or reviewed my story or myself as an author. And if you ever reviewed even just once, I noticed your username! If you reviewed more than once, I was very excited to know you had stuck with me! You all are the most amazing support group possible for an aspiring writer and you are the reason I will continue writing! Who knows where the next stories I write will take us? I'm very excited and I hope you'll explore more with my versions of Rose and Scorpius into Unbreakable. Now that this has been the longest author's note in existence, I'm going to end with this: it's been a crazy, awesome three years and cheers to us all for finishing it! I send lots of love and virtual hugs to my readers! :')))  
>~ yours in eternity, Amy xx<strong>


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